Watch What You Say
by Irene Claire
Summary: A test drive of a friend's boat leads to trouble when the boat experiences mechanical issues. The resulting explosion deafens Danny. Shameless whump and angst. December 2012 deleted old chapter 13 regarding losses during the Storm Irene. I don't know if deleting a chapter will republish this? I hope not. My apologies if it does.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Summary: An example of why I joined the DWOCD community. A test drive of a friend's boat leads to trouble when the boat experiences mechanical issues. The resulting explosion deafens Danny. A sad little whumper of a story that I blame on my DWOCD isues. Plus my support group made me do it!**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

_**Chapter 1**_

Danny gazed blearily up at the very green leaf that was hanging mere inches from his nose. He was lying completely flat on his back. He knew that much because he could feel the sand and small rocks poking uncomfortably into his shoulders. But he couldn't take his eyes off the leaf as it fluttered back and forth in a light breeze. He was wet and shivered slightly unsure why he'd be cold on such a hot day. But the fact was, he felt cold and didn't know what to do about it as he blinked hazily upwards. Part of the leaf was dappled with sunlight and part was darkened by shade and it totally captivated him. There was a glimmer of blue sky and the promise of a bright sun behind it.

He felt wholly disembodied as he studied the green leaf. There wasn't a single thought in his head other than the fact that the leaf existed and for some reason, he was laying on his back and not sure how or when that had happened. Something niggled in the back of his head but it refused to come forward. So he let it go.

After a few minutes it did sink in that there was absolutely no sound. Nothing. The leaf was swaying in the breeze, but the silence was deafening. It was like watching a television show with the mute button on and it was slowly becoming more and more disconcerting. Slowly, his eyes strayed from the leaf and up towards the canopy of heavy jungle. The trees were definitely swaying in more than just a gentle breeze and he could smell the salty ocean air. But there was absolutely no sound. He furrowed his brow in confusion at that because if there was a wind, he should hear the rustling of the leaves. He should be hearing birds even or the distant pounding of ocean surf.

The tiny worry started and the only word that came to mind was "_why_?" Once again the feeling entered his head that something was wrong .. something had happened. But he couldn't make his brain work.

Hesitantly he reached up to touch the leaf with his right hand and saw that it was shaking badly. There was blood on his palm. "_Why_?"

But as he got closer to touching teryhe green, Steve suddenly loomed into view. He was agitated, worried as he looked frantically around the area beyond where Danny lay prone. And his lips were moving fast as if he was shouting down at him, but Danny frowned again at the sheer lack of sound.

Steve had also grabbed Danny's hand and was holding it tightly. So tightly that Danny thought his bones would crunch together and he winced at the hard pressure. Devoid of any other feeling though, Danny silently watched Steve through hazy eyes.

He stayed confused when Steve gently put his other hand on Danny's chest and then up to his cheek. Then to the side of his face and moved it up into his hair. The touch was careful, light and full of an emotional worry. Steve's face became closed and angry; and his hand came away bloody red. He passively watched as Steve patted his hand down to his side. He leaned close and his lips moved again before shedding his button down blue shirt and then stripping off his white t-shirt. But Danny lost sight of what was happening and dozed until he felt Steve cleaning his face and trying to bandage his head with ripped remnants of the shirt.

Suddenly it hurt and he tried to flinch away, but Steve's lips looked like they were shushing him and he could read his name. And the eyes. Steve's eyes. Danny could read them like a book and they were anxious, worried and very dark as he focused on the bleeding gash on Danny's temple. He must have murmured something about the pain because Steve appeared to answer him. Again he could read the simple words of "_Okay .. Danno .. Okay_."

He wanted to ask what was wrong .. what had happened .. but Danny just couldn't bring himself to form more words and he wasn't sure if he cared to find out yet. He still didn't understand that his own head was bleeding and that it had been cut open by a piece of shrapnel from the explosion. That his hearing loss was because of the sheer reverberating concussion of sound that that had ripped through the boat and then the water just as Steve hurled them both into the ocean. So Danny simply lay on the deserted beach and lazily watched first the leaf and then Steve's very anxious face. He didn't think twice about his gaze falling to Steve's mouth to try and read the words being spoken. Some things were obvious .. like his name or when Steve said _'okay'_. Other things were a total mystery especially when Steve jerked his head around or looked elsewhere.

There was a moment where Danny felt bone tired, almost nauseous as the pain intensified across his temple. He moaned softly as he allowed his eyes to close. The bright sun only made matters worse and it was increasingly hard to focus. But there was a severe shake on his arms and he winced again as the motion seemed to rattle the aching drum that had begun to pound in his head. When it happened a second and then a third time, Danny forced his eyes to find Steve practically nose to nose with him. He blinked in a vain effort to hear him as his hand came up to grab at Steve's forearm weakly. "_Sick. Why_?"

Danny saw again that Steve's lips were moving and he was trying to say something important. The worry in Steve's eyes had also increased ten-fold and he seemed more frantic .. terribly distressed. The very air had changed around them and feebly Danny could sense a storm. The wind had increased and the smells had changed to now include the wet, pungent scent of rain. His green leaf was now fluttering crazily in a high wind.

So Danny tried his best to hear the words but he was unable to do more than once more attempt to read Steve's lips. He seemed to be demanding now that Danny_ stay awake_ or _don't sleep._ Once, he thought Steve said '_okay, it will be okay_' and clearly another word was '_Danno'_. He could read that easily enough on Steve's lips and a small smile curved his own.

That simple smile made Steve hesitate and appear slightly less stressed for a moment. But Danny was so tired, his head was pounding with a vengeance and his ears had begun to ring even though he was still completely deaf to all other sounds. And as he slowly closed his eyes once more, Danny's hand loosened and fell away from Steve's arm. It landed limply in the sand next to him where he lay in the shade of a large banyan tree.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: I absolutely can't believe the rave reviews. I'm totally humbled .. truly. Thank you and I will email you each back. I really didn't plan on posting this little brain-child. I hope I can do it justice after such tremendous praise on the first chapter. I'm a very much overwhelmed about it! **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

_**Chapter 2**_

The explosion was completely unexpected and it had happened just as Danny and Steve were having lunch on Russ Anderson's newest project. Russ was a friend of Steve's and had invited the two out to shake the bugs out of the old vessel. He had finally declared it sea-worthy enough for a short experimental run. The boat's renovation had been a fourteen-month undertaking with Steve often pitching in on the engine repairs; searching and bartering for parts that fit the ancient charter that they had both affectionately dubbed _The RA Titanic_. Russ had visions of starting up a deep sea charter fishing rental company and Steve and Danny were his first official '_unofficial'_ customers.

They'd anchored near an interesting old wreck off the shoreline of an island as a side favor for Steve to also snorkel around and investigate. In fact, Danny had been intrigued as they peered over the side to see the jagged outline of the old Spanish ship that was encrusted with coral and dotted with colorful fish. And that had been up Steve's sleeve as well. He was grinning foolishly and nonchalantly handing over an extra set of fins and snorkel gear by the time Danny had hinted at his growing interest.

Danny had chuckled as he took the gear. "What is this? Seals carry two of everything now?"

Steve shrugged non-committally and laughed with his arms open wide. "Just always prepared, Danno!"

And then over lunch, Steve had called the small island an 'islet' which Danny thought very funny. Steve had snorted when Danny's eyes had narrowed in jest. He'd been impressed that Danny had actually managed to hold his sarcastic tongue with Russ present. If they had been alone, Steve knew that there would have been some sort of a ridiculous retort about "baby islands".

But a valid history lesson had been sparked instead and Danny had been duly astounded by the Seal's knowledge.

"_Actually Danny, this is more of an islet since it's so very small. The entire Hawaiian ridge consists of the islands of the Hawaiian chain northwest to Kure Atoll, and then on to what is called the Emperor Seamounts. All of these things form an underwater mountainous region._"

Danny had never thought about the sea containing mountains or that the islands, shallows and reefs were essentially major peaks and valleys. All of which made the snorkeling adventure even that much more meaningful. The small islet that they now anchored near would be considered a peak that broke above the water line and now held its own ecosystem of various trees, plants, small animals and birds.

"_It's likely that the old wreck connected with the reefs here and sunk ages ago. And now it's a great place to snorkel or dive."_

Russ had waved them off to go below deck to check on a faulty pump and a few creaks and groans he'd heard as they motored out from the marina. "_I've listened to this a thousand times. I'll be right back, boys._"

But then there had been a bang. The boat had vibrated and they had both smelled smoke at the same time. It was a mechanical smell combining rubber, plastic and an odd metallic oily odor. Within seconds, there was another bang and a sharp popping sound as black smoke billowed up from below. They'd been unable to reach Russ and Steve had finally seen the flames licking the diesel engines. Eyes wide and choking on the smoke, he'd grabbed their one duffle bag and virtually flung himself and Danny into the water.

The resulting explosion had happened much too fast and he'd only managed to get them into the water but certainly not far enough away. Not by a long shot. Steve had felt the strong concussion in the water as it roiled through him and the sea then absorbed it. He'd been tossed and then momentarily disoriented before swimming back to the surface. But he still had a firm hold of the duffel and then looked for Danny.

He's seen him almost instantly and it wasn't what Steve had expected. Floating face-down, Danny was unmoving amongst the smoldering debris. Steve reacted on auto pilot to hastily get to him, manage rescue breaths and then swim to the islet's beach. Danny was breathing but had been knocked senseless by the blast. Something had hit him in the head. Something like shrapnel from pieces of the boat's hull and it had cut his scalp badly.

Now Steve heaved a shuddering breath and cursed the storm that was coming in with a vengeance. They'd lost Russ, Danny was down and the storm was a total surprise. _The RA Titanic _was an albatross and Steve damned the old vessel as it started to sink.

"Danno." Steve gently shook the man again, but the lax head only rolled slightly on the sand. The hand that had feebly gripped his arm had already fallen as well.

He had been relieved to see Danny waking but it hadn't lasted long. The blue eyes were dull and lazy; his pupils were uneven and reacting poorly. He was clearly unfocused and nearly unresponsive to what was happening around him. Steve had taken his hand as it strayed upwards and had squeezed it in an attempt to get his attention. At first, Steve had been overwhelmingly pleased to see the small smile, but his hopes were dashed when Danny didn't speak or seem to understand what he was saying. And then he was gone again.

"Come on Danno. Wake up for me." Steve was now becoming desperate as the wind picked up and tiny sand storms flew up the beach. With virtually no supplies and a big need to find shelter before the storm hit the tiny island, they were in trouble. He'd been trained better than this and knew that the feelings of desperation could paralyze and become life-threatening liabilities. He had a multitude of real experiences to draw upon to avoid the heavy and suffocating feelings of dread stirring in him. But looking at the storm clouds and then down to Danny's drawn face and head wound, Steve wondered what else could be thrown at them.

"Think, McGarrett." He demanded to himself as he tried to prioritize his next steps.

But besides Danny, the tragic loss of Russ was foremost in his racing mind. With an illogical hope, Steve turned back towards the beach and went back into the water. In fact, he was up to his knees and then his hips in the surf before he stopped and simply watched the boat continue to burn. Half of it was already gone and there would have been no way anyone could have survived the explosion below deck. Vainly searching the water for any sign of Russ, Steve had to force himself to wade out of the rising tide as thunder sounded in the distance. He paused again at the water's edge and stared with unbelieving eyes at the wreckage until another loud rumble of thunder got him moving back to Danny.

He used his knife to carve up his t-shirt into small bandages to diligently pack and bandage the head wound as best as possible. Danny had started to come around as Steve wiped away blood and packed the gash. He'd winced and mumbled something so softly Steve couldn't make out the words clearly so he could only shush him as he continued dressing the wound.

"Danno. It's okay. Just take it easy." He muttered in a sadly roughened voice. "Are you with me yet?" Steve hadn't gotten much of a reply and then desperately tried to rouse Danny when the man's eyes had begun to slide shut.

The head injury was more than worrisome and Steve was anxious to keep him aware. "Stay awake. Come on Danno. No sleeping on the job."

Danny had rallied with the small shakes and with Steve's pleas. He had weakly smiled and Steve had been briefly relieved. But he'd eventually lost the battle and his eyes had remained closed.

"This isn't good. Not good." Steve muttered angrily at the sheer impossibility of the situation. "This shouldn't have happened .."

Stumbling to his feet, Steve left Danny under the shelter of the tree to do a quick survey of the area and quickly found a small cave near a heavy bower of trees. Truth be told, it was hardly a proper cave and more like a deep rocky out-cropping just above the beach and the water line. But it was at least close and would have to do as the storm powered in from the west.

Making his way back down to the beach, Steve crouched down next to Danny. Steve grimaced as he carefully moved him into a sitting position. Danny's head fell limply forward onto his chest and Steve thought he heard a low disagreeable moan.

"Danno." He said and then was practically shouting as lightning flashed in the distance and the wind picked up noticeably. What was left of the chartered boat was nearly gone and a few sparse tendrils of inky black smoke dotted the sky. "Danny!"

There was another pained moan causing Steve to sadly apologize. He flinched as particles of sand whipped up from the beach and pelted his arms. "Sorry buddy. We have to get to somewhere safer before this storm hits."

With as much care as possible, he managed to get Danny upright with an arm around his neck and one around his waist. Step by agonizing step, he virtually dragged Danny to the small outcropping.

Roused by the move, Danny gagged unexpectedly. "Hurts." He mumbled as he winced and then was seized by a wave of nausea. He wouldn't have been able to describe the pain in his head if were asked. The nausea it sparked was debilitating to his growing weakened state.

He felt himself carefully lowered to the ground and then rolled over onto his side as the heaves struck. Danny barely registered that Steve was rubbing his back in circles and then slightly elevating his head. Coughing and gagging, Danny retched in an overwhelming deafened silence until he was soaked in sweat and left panting. When it finally began to ease, he lay there miserably with eyes partially opened in a glazed shock. His happy green leaf was gone to be replaced with a craggy, ugly black rock. Sick and nauseous, Danny chose it as a desperate solid shape. With a soft moan, he breathed carefully in and out through his nose while a knife-like feeling stabbed his head.

He could feel Steve leaning over him and exhaustedly he abandoned the rock. Blinking rapidly, Danny eventually settled on eyes that were full of an anxious worry. And he knew that Steve was speaking but Danny didn't think he could answer even if he had been able to hear the words.

He briefly let his gaze fall to Steve's mouth but he couldn't concentrate long enough to figure it out. He knew that he should also question the continuing lack of sound but when a small wet cloth was used to wipe down his face, Danny just closed his burning eyes at the cool feeling. The cloth was rewet and then soothingly placed over his forehead; there was a comforting squeeze on his arm and then Steve's presence evaporated. Alone and in a silent version of hell, Danny drifted into darkness.

Steve had lost valuable time beating out the storm in order to make sure Danny didn't aspirate from the vomiting after the move to the out-cropping of rocks. As soon as it started, he'd rolled Danny on his side and elevated his head with one hand. The other hand alternated between rubbing Danny's arm and then his back in slow circles.

When the worst had ended, Danny was used up and wrung out. He didn't answer Steve's questions about how bad the pain was; and Steve couldn't blame Danny for just trying to slowly breathe in and out in ragged shallow pants.

"It's over. We're not going to move again. Try and breathe through it." And as he talked, Steve used one hand to search the duffle to find one of the bottled waters he knew would be there. Leaning over Danny's side, he brushed back the hair that had fallen into his face and then used a wet cloth soaked in the water to ease the ashen face.

"Be right back. Just breathe slowly. Nice and easy. I won't be long." And now before the first raindrops came down, Steve again reluctantly left his side as the heaves calmed.

He jogged around the small beach area and gathered as much dry wood as humanly possible and piled it high in the back of the hollowed out rocks. Once again, he rustled through the duffle bag and took stock of the meager supplies. He knew it held three bottled waters, two power bars and the one bottle of Gatorade he'd tossed together that morning out of habit. He also had included a spare shirt. The side of the duffle always held a small pocket-knife, a bare essentials first aid kit that only had band aids, small gauze pads and tape, plus a waterproof jar with matches. The jar was what he wanted the most and he gripped it tightly in his hand like a trophy when he fished it out of the deep pocket. Both of their cell phones had been ruined by the dip in the ocean and he tossed them miserably to the side.

Steve also had his better knife tucked into his cargo pants for which he was incredibly thankful, but not much else. With a sigh, he sat back on his heels and closed his eyes in dreary disgust when he heard the thunder coming closer.

With a glance towards Danny, he left once more and briefly stood on the beach. Half the boat was still above water and much of the fire had extinguished itself. Steve considered once again swimming out and this time diving for more supplies or maybe even for a spare radio. But a look at the quickly darkening sky and the unpredictable rough water immediately changed his mind.

Moving down the beach, he became even more methodical .. purposeful .. and very grim. Steve was compartmentalizing and simply checking things off his critical mental survival list. He used his knife to either cut or snap large boughs that he planned to use to protect them from the pending onslaught of wind and rain. Vines were used to tie the branches together and he forced them into the narrow front of the rocky cliff face as a shield. It darkened their small area significantly but would offer an additional buffer to the wind and rain. He rubbed one hand over his face as the rain finally came. But without hesitating, he moved immediately to his next task.

The fire would shed not only needed light, but warmth and with the storm, it would be definitely be a morale boost. The watertight jar of matches was the key and the process took some time with the growing dampness; but Steve finally got a small smoldering flame that was painstakingly fed into a respectable fire.

Danny became more aware as Steve finished stoking the growing flames. He was still on his side and he hung onto the black rock as it came into focus. His head was throbbing but the nausea was at bay for the moment. Muzzily, he looked beyond the rock when movement caught his eye. It took a few moments but Danny realized he was looking at Steve's back as he crouched over a fire. The fluctuating flames reminded him of the leaf and how it had been moving in the breeze. But the brightness of the fire was in a stark contrast to the dark cave and Danny was almost unable to stop looking at it until it was entirely blocked from his view.

The change startled his fuzzy mind and he had difficulty making the transition to Steve who had knelt back down next to him. He had the extra shirt and the now empty duffle bag in hand and was saying something. With a frown, Steve hesitated and then slowly moved Danny onto his back, draped the shirt loosely over his upper body and then gently wadded the duffle bag for use as a pillow.

"Okay? Is that better?" Steve asked worriedly. The continued lack of response was beginning to overwhelm him. He'd only muttered some basic words about feeling sick or hurting, but Danny hadn't truly answered a real question. Steve was concerned about the head injury and the new possibility of a serious problem like a skull fracture.

"Danny. How do you feel? What hurts?" And then Steve saw it. He practically froze in alarm as he repeated Danny's name and saw that he was dropping his eyes to Steve's lips. Danny was watching Steve; almost too closely - watching what he said or what he was doing.

Until that moment, it had never occurred to him that Danny might not be able to actually _hear_. He hadn't even remotely considered that the explosion had done additional unseen damages.

"Danno?" He felt the flash of fear clear down into the pit of his stomach and he stopped to rub both hands over his face. With a deep breath, he reached down and put his hand on Danny's chest to get his attention. And when the muddled eyes met his at the touch, Steve smiled weakly and tried again.

"How do you feel?" He whispered and hoped for a reply, but once more, Danny's eyes moved to his mouth. It was clear now that Danny was trying to read his lips. He definitely was watching what Steve was saying. With the shocked realization, Steve's voice fell a few octaves to a low harsh whisper and he spoke each word very clearly.

"Danny. Can you hear me?" With hesitation, Danny's hand moved upwards to touch Steve's arm as he shook his head and muttered two confused words. "No. Why?"

Danny's eyes became troubled and darkly haunted as they sluggishly moved from Steve's face to the darkening sky and the storm that was looming now. He could still feel the change in the atmosphere, see flashes of lightning, and he still hadn't caught up to what had happened. His head was pounding, there was a constant ringing in his ears and now he was shocked by the utter silence.

Steve's serious persistency had finally made it through his hazy mind. With a rising feeling of dread, he realized that he should be hearing not only the sounds of surf, birds and now of the strong storm, but also Steve's voice.

"Can't hear." Danny breathed out suddenly. He made a sudden move to get up and his head flared in a pounding agony. Gasping, Danny grabbed for Steve's hand. "_Why_ .. no sound?"

"Easy. Danno. Take it slow." Steve was completely unable to hide his concern as he stared firmly into Danny's eyes. "Take it slow." Carefully, he rechecked the bandages and then furtively looked at Danny's ears. He was relieved to see no sign of bleeding but had nothing else to constructively do. The albatross had thrown this at them - this final blow - Danny was deaf.

The sudden explosion and the severe concussion had damaged his eardrums or done something more. Combined with the head injury, it was devastating and there was no way to know if it was temporary.

"It's going to be okay." Steve's hand moved from his chest and up to Danny's shoulder and he gave him a small shake to get his attention. The bewildered blue eyes settled again on his face. Steve's heart was hammering in turmoil and he almost groaned when Danny reacted automatically and his gaze flickered to his lips.

With a purposeful look, Steve very slowly repeated the words and tried to communicate as much belief and conviction as possible. "Danno. Trust me. It will be okay."

But the small fearful nod behind the sickly shadowed blue eyes was only slightly reassured. Quietly, Steve leaned over and tucked the shirt around Danny's upper body. Before speaking in a tired voice roughened by a new worry, he made sure Danny was watching as the thunder came closer and the rain fell in earnest. "We're safe. Try to rest."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: You all are fabulous – many many thanks for the reviews and such positive support. I'm trying to get back to everyone. And rescue comes next! I do have a short business trip this week and may be delayed tweaking the next few chapters before posting. **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

_**Chapter 3**_

The storm hit with the absolute fury of every island tempest Steve had ever witnessed but it battered the small islet from all angles and he felt terribly exposed even though he'd done his best to protect the small out-cropping. In short, it was loud and violent. The viney branch walls he had built were holding, but rattled relentlessly. And outside, the wind howled as the rain flew sideways, sand whipped up and trees bent dangerously or simply snapped in half.

But he had significantly more issues to deal with than the bad weather. Danny was conscious and had become increasingly more aware. For this, Steve felt some definite relief as he bathed the sweaty face with water and tried to keep him calm. But he was pale, nauseous and still shell-shocked by the after-effects of the blast. The slightest movement brought on a vicious bout of retching and Danny was panting sadly now as one eased after he'd tried to get up.

Both were stunned by the realization of Danny's deafness with Steve becoming almost too quietly moody and stern; conversely Danny grew agitated and visibly distressed. Keeping him calm was now very difficult and Steve had his hand's full.

"Danno, you have to rest. You have a bad concussion." He was on his knees leaning over Danny and wiping his face as he moaned and the last of the nauseating spasms finally lessened. Steve made no attempt to hide the angry worry that was etched across his face as he demanded Danny's attention and punctuated each word when the overwrought gaze met his face. "You have to rest."

"Knife." Danny panted as one hand went wearily up to his head. "Feels like it." His eyes closed as his face stayed tight in a pained misery. Steve intercepted the hand before it could dislodge the poor excuse for bandages. He'd used up the extra gauze pads and all of the tape from the useless first aid kit and now it was stained with dried blood.

"I can imagine." Steve said bluntly to Danny's closed off face as he gently squeezed a hand that was cold and clammy. The shirt he was using as a cheap blanket slipped and Steve bent forward again to bring it nearly up to Danny's chin. And he knew now that Danny couldn't hear him but he talked anyway.

"God, I wish we had more things with us." Outside it sounded like the storm was peaking as wind gusts picked up and nearly tore the hand-made walls away from the rock-face. "Bad storm. Worse luck." Steve muttered angrily to himself as he felt the pressure change and become oppressive. And Danny sensed it too as he opened his eyes to worriedly look from the small crazily bouncing fire to Steve's sullen face.

With a dismal scowl, Steve nodded and repeated himself slowly for Danny's benefit. "Yeah. Bad storm. I feel it too. Rest, Danny."

The down side to Danny's increasing awareness was his growing distress of his hearing loss coupled with the high strung chafing. When his eyes opened, he'd either watch the flames of the fire or stare at the rattling branches propped strongly against the front of their small refuge. A flash of lightning would make him squirm or fidget in a fearful frustration regardless of the nausea it might cause. As lightning illuminated the small cave and the flames of their fire nearly went out from a gust of drafty wind, Danny grimaced and couldn't help himself from flinching.

Steve quickly put his hand out to grab Danny's shoulder as he tried to curl in on himself from a spike of pain that stabbed his head. "Easy. We're safe. Please try to rest."

Steve checked his watch. It had been almost more than three hours since the explosion and Steve bit his lip nervously. He'd seen auditory issues and noise induced hearing loss resolve after blast explosions within minutes or even up to a few hours; but sometimes, not at all.

His own ears had rung for hours after a severe bombardment on a particular mission and he hadn't suffered from permanent hearing loss. But the experience was short of nerve-wracking and he understood Danny's feelings. He prayed now that Danny had been immersed in the water when the bulk of the heavy explosion had occurred. With luck, the water had absorbed and buffeted a large portion of the concussion and this would pass – it would at least give him a chance. Using himself as an example, he tried to smile as he once again forced liquid on Danny. He'd been refusing tiny sips of water but with the heaves and cold sweat, it would be a short matter of time before he became dehydrated and they simply didn't need another problem.

"Here, try some Gatorade." With a hand on Danny's chest, Steve gave him a little prod. But Danny kept his head turned away from him choosing instead to stare blindly in a morose trance at the small flickering fire. "Drink. I think you can keep it down if you go slow. At least try."

Frowning at the obstinacy, Steve leaned forward this time with the Gatorade bottle in hand and his expression was adamant. He caught Danny's eye and spoke clearly to get his point across. The look that was laced with annoyance made him quirk a grin. That very typical part of Danny's personality was at least on the surface and happily normal. _Irritable_ was better than troubled and so much better than dazed and confused.

"I know. But you _**will**_ drink this. Danno, you have to stay hydrated. _**Drink**_."

The fidgets started again as lightning flashed, and Steve sighed in total frustration as he put the bottle down on the ground and placed a strong hand on Danny's chest to prevent him from too much movement. "What are you doing? Stay still."

But wincing as pain flared in his head, Danny insisted on propping himself up on one elbow. "I want to sit first."

Scooting over behind the shaky shoulders, Steve scowled as he prepared himself for another miserable bout of nausea and dry heaves.

"Bad idea, Danno." He warned with a finger held up in the air but he was completely ignored as Danny dropped his eyes and stayed partially prone. His face was ashen again, but his lips were in a firm determined line.

"I need to sit up, Steve." With a disgusted sound, Steve squeezed Danny's arm to get his attention. And when his annoyed and almost pleading blue eyes met his own, Steve nodded with a rueful smirk. "Okay. But let me help. Go slow. And don't say that I didn't warn you."

Danny hesitated and closed his eyes against a wave of dizziness. He'd gotten most of the words and didn't want to cause himself any problems, but he was tired of lying on his back. Tired of feeling so vulnerable. "Want to try." He replied quietly.

With extreme care Steve moved to sit closer and then slowly propped Danny up into his own chest. The deeply distressed breathing started almost immediately and Steve tried to help by using the cool wet cloth to wipe his face and neck. But blessedly, it eased after a few minutes and Danny relaxed bonelessly backwards as the final shudders worked their way out of his body.

"Better." Danny muttered as he got used to the new position. And it was better since he'd gotten depressed by laying flat on his back or being propped on his side. His view was boringly limited and he felt utterly defenseless.

"Might be at that." Steve admitted quietly. He could feel the chill of Danny's back from the hard ground now that he was resting against him. His arms were also cold regardless of the fire and having used the shirt to cover his upper body. He purposefully settled Danny more firmly against him to share his warmth.

"So, was this your way of changing the subject?" Steve asked wryly as he peered down at the still somewhat greenish face. With one hand he snared the Gatorade bottle back and gently plunked it in Danny's lap. He was sure that Danny hadn't heard him since the man's eyes were screwed shut, but when they partially opened he heard a vocal pained sigh. Steve grinned with approval as Danny's hands finally came up to take the plastic bottle.

"Good." Steve simply said as he offered support, but allowed Danny to manage the bottle mostly for himself. Attempting the tiny sips was a chore and Steve shook his head a few times when Danny tried to push it away much too soon. He peered around Danny and caught his eye again to make his demand.

"No. One more sip. Just a little more. It'll stay down. You need it."

Danny could feel the rumble of his Steve's voice through his back and he closed his eyes again. He snorted softly to himself each time he tried to refuse 'one more sip'. There were a lot of 'one more sip's' and if he didn't feel so sick, it would be almost funny. The vibration of Steve's voice would increase and strong fingers would grasp over his own as he held the bottle. Another vibration. And his hand would be gently but firmly forced towards his mouth. Steve was unyielding and inflexible. And though Danny couldn't near the words, he was positive about what Steve was demanding. "_One more sip, Danno_."

So he sipped slowly and was relieved when his stomach accepted the Gatorade without too much objection. But after a while, he'd had enough and dropped the bottle to his lap. Another soothing rumble sounded but he was left alone this time as it was finally taken away.

"Done. No more." Danny whispered as his eyes started to close again. He was tired, felt warmer and the pain in his head had gone down to a dull roar. In silence he watched the flames of the fire until they began to blend together into an orange and red blur. Another set of vibrations rang through his back as Steve talked about something and Danny found himself relaxing by just being able to feel the deep tones. He was beginning to doze when a stray troubled thought entered his head. Someone was missing.

"Russ. Where's Russ?" But he had barely slurred the upsetting words as an afterthought. And by the time they'd left his lips, Danny was already asleep.

Steve could easily see that exhaustion was catching up with Danny as the eyes slowly slid shut. He had managed to drink about one quarter of the Gatorade and it was staying down for the moment. So Steve capped the bottle for later. "That's good. Even better than the water."

With Danny tucked against him, Steve spoke the words mostly for himself. "When we get back, we'll just get you checked out. Rest and time. I've seen this before. It will be okay."

And he was relieved to feel Danny calm even further the more he spoke. He plucked at the shirt and fixed it around Danny's shoulders as he sagged and murmured something that he couldn't quite make out. Grudgingly because of the head injury, Steve allowed him to sleep as he himself leaned wearily back against the rocky wall. With nothing to do, Steve now found that the bouncing flames of the fire equally drew him in as he listened to the howling winds outside.

"Bad storm." He muttered again, and then amended his words. "Just an all around bad day. Bad luck."

The thunder was booming incessantly outside and Steve grimaced as the cracks sounded directly overhead with simultaneous flashes of bright lightning. A tree breached in half and crashed loudly a few feet from where they sat. The sharp crack jolted Steve from his light doze before he settled again. But Danny never heard it.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Notes: wow! Everyone – thank you! I'm on a business trip this week and had time to tweak this chapter while traveling. I'm not sure if I can fine-tune Chapter 5 before the weekend, but will try. I may also be delayed thanking each of you personally for your kind reviews, support and compliments. But please KNOW that I TRULY appreciate every single word!

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

_**Chapter 4**_

From its very first raindrops, the storm lasted almost five hours and it ended as abruptly as it had borne down on them. As streams of sunlight peeked through the treed opening, Steve gingerly extricated himself from behind his still sleeping partner. Laying Danny prone and on his side with the duffel once again acting as a pillow, Steve first stoked the smoldering fire in case they needed it for the night. He then left the out-cropping to check the beach and see the storm damage.

He was alarmed to find that the waters had come within a short twenty feet of their hiding place. The piles of flotsam, branches and tree trucks were mixed with debris that disturbingly appeared to be from the old charter fishing boat. Steve had to pick his way carefully through the jumbled mess to reach what was left of the small beach.

The surf was still high from the surge and in typical post storm fashion, the setting sun was beautiful and birds were calling loudly to each other as if nothing had happened. If not for the extensive damage and debris across the beach, one could be hard pressed to believe that they could have been in such dire straits a scant few hours ago. He checked his watch as he studied the sky and then the horizon.

"Now's a good time to show up." Steve spoke out loud as he scanned the water. It was nearing six thirty in the evening and Steve had no doubt they were already missed and that help would be on the way or in fact, was already coming.

Russ hadn't been a stupid or accidental person; far from it. When it came to the ocean, he was a careful veteran; deliberate and informed. One of the first things he had installed on the old boat was a state of the art GPS system followed by an expensive marine radio. And he'd instructed his wife and son on how to use both technologies before the old wreck had been re-launched into the sea.

And Chin knew. Chin knew because he'd also been invited to go on the little shake-down but had begged off because of a family conflict. And he had been very tempted because of the opportunity to dive the old wreck. But his cousin's wedding had won out in the end. So Steve had complete faith that it was just a matter of time for help to arrive now that the storm had lifted.

Steve gave the horizon one more hard look before turning back towards the cave and muttering to himself. "Yeah, they're coming."

The issue he hadn't considered was that Coast Guard resources were now heavily stressed by the multitude of distress calls that the unexpected storm had created. Maggie had been watching the weather reports and had vainly tried to hail her husband's boat in advance as the sudden shift in weather was confirmed. She had no way of knowing that the boat had already suffered from the explosion and she was shocked when she tried to access the GPS and the signal from the boat simply wasn't there.

When her calls didn't go through and the GPS showed a blank void, she called the Coast Guard for emergency assistance. But Maggie hadn't been the only person contacting them for help and the _R.A. Titanic_ was logged on a long list that was prioritized based upon location and perceived urgency.

In growing fear and frustration, Maggie dutifully forced herself to wait on the Coast Guard's list before finally giving in to calling Chin Ho directly. And when he couldn't reach either Steve or Danny by cell phone, Chin did the next best thing: he and Kono left the wedding reception, picked up Maggie and then brazenly borrowed the newly married cousin's boat.

At the first opportune break in the weather, the rescue group had left from the North Shore marina; well before Steve reached the water's edge on the small beach to stare at the sunset.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

"They're coming." Steve had returned to the cave to find Danny sickly propped up on his elbow. He'd awakened from a troubled sleep and was startled to find himself alone. And now Steve was tasked with calming and settling him back down.

"Storm's over. Russ had the GPS and best marine radio available installed on that thing. Maggie knows .. trust me, help is coming. I'm positive she's already made the right calls."

"So .." Danny breathed heavily as he winced at the pain that was settling now behind his eyes. He was miserable and sick as he allowed Steve to easily push him back down and readjust the thin shirt over his shoulders. He had missed a lot of what Steve said, but he did understand that the storm had ended at least. Steve also seemed certain that help was on the way, but had also fed the fire and that was confusing. "Why the fire?"

"First of all, _**you**_ my friend are very cold." And Danny definitely was cold as he trembled under the light material. Steve frowned at the clammy skin and then scolded him for even questioning the need for light and warmth. "Secondly, it's precautionary. Why are you looking for trouble? We have enough of that already."

Steve was talking slowly as he pantomimed his way through the awkward conversation. He was also becoming simultaneously annoyed and amused by the rising rant. Sick or not, able to hear or deafened, Danny just had a knack for pushing buttons.

"Just in case." Steve remarked blandly as he tried to put an end to it. But it only made Danny hesitate and blink owlishly at him. He was still following most of the steady speech. The truth was he simply didn't feel well and night was falling. He was miserable and intent on being grumpy as his headache returned.

"In case ... because no one's coming." Danny countered in a rough grouchy tone with a weak wave of his hand. "_Because_ .. we wouldn't _need_ the fire if someone was actually _coming_."

He might be hard of hearing, but he was obviously astute as Steve threw his hands up in exasperation. He then pointedly made Danny watch his face and clearly understand what he was saying.

"They _**are**_ coming. And you _**are** _shivering, Danno." Steve found his voice rising on its own from sheer aggravation. Glaring at Danny as he tucked the shirt around his shoulders again, he then folded his arms across his chest to make one final point. "And, I need the fire because it makes me happy."

Punctuating each word, Steve kept a hand on Danny's chest and was almost daring him to continue the argument. "You rest. Let me worry about it."

Danny relaxed briefly as Steve slowly rocked to his feet to look out towards the ocean. He watched him almost angrily put his hands on both hips to scan the distant horizon and then checked his watch for the thousandth time. Steve was preoccupied, worried and becoming increasingly impatient now that the storm had ended. So Danny hesitated and then studied Steve's back before asking another question and saw that the shoulders slumped almost immediately. The action gave Danny the unfortunate answer before Steve even turned around.

"Steve. Where's Russ?" Closing his eyes sadly at the physical response, Danny shook his head and then blinked rapidly to clear his vision. "I'm sorry." He unhappily studied Steve again who still stood with his back to Danny.

"Hey, I'm sorry." He repeated. "What happened exactly?"

"It was the explosion. He died in the explosion." Steve was still gazing blindly out at the ocean when he answered in a voice that had fallen and gone darkly monotone.

"Who could have guessed? Damned boat's an albatross." He added sadly in a muttered whisper and his shoulders slumped even more.

Danny didn't know what to do. He knew Steve was speaking and he saw the devastated slump, so he let it go as he sighed sorrowfully and closed his eyes again. The news only made him feel worse and his head began to pound in time to his heart beat. He didn't have the strength to ask Steve to turn around and repeat himself. It was obvious that whatever had happened had been devastatingly bad – Russ had been killed, they were stranded and he, himself, had been deafened and injured by the terrible accident.

Minutes passed and Danny felt a hesitant hand on his shoulder. When he squinted his eyes open, Steve was sitting next to him and his face held a combination of sadness and apology.

"I forgot." He said simply with an embarrassed expression as he motioned towards Danny's head injury and ears. "Do you remember anything about the explosion?"

Steve was back to speaking methodically and carefully so that Danny could catch up. With his hands, he made a large motion to mimic the loud boat explosion. "Do you remember that?"

Danny mouthed the word '_no'_ as his eyes went wide in wonder. He groaned as he rubbed the heel of his hand in the middle of his forehead in both a real and an emotional agony.

"No." He whispered in shock. "The boat blew up?"

Steve firmly pulled the stray hand back down and away from the bandaged head wound. He waited for Danny to breathe through a wave of pain before he was able to continue. "Russ was killed in the explosion. The boat just .. caught on fire .. and blew up. We couldn't get to him below deck. It was over before we knew what had happened."

He was disgusted by the situation as he gestured towards the nearly destroyed beach. "Then the storm hit." It was almost too much to absorb and Danny couldn't find any words as he rubbed the heel of his palm against his forehead for a second time. He screwed his eyes shut and then resisted when Steve tried to pull his hand back down.

"Hurts again." He whispered. "Feel sick." But Danny drearily forced his eyes open when he sensed the increased movement around him. Steve had wet the cloth and it was soon draped across his eyes and forehead. His thankful sigh was audible and Steve squeezed his arm before glancing out towards the water.

His face changed as he hesitated and then listened harder. Almost holding his breath, he stood and strode towards the mouth of the cave. After a few seconds, he was sure that he could hear a boat's motor in the distance. A genuine smile creased his face as he practically flew down to the beach as the powerful boat engines approached.

Steve waded out into the surf up to his hips with his arms waving frantically overhead as the boat zeroed in on the beach and then cruised to a stop a few yards out from the break point. Chin was at the helm with a huge smile on his own face while Maggie and Kono waved back.

They were unable to drop anchor in the rough waters, so both Maggie and Kono stayed on the bobbing boat as Chin piloted the smaller dingy to shore. Steve caught the forward line as Chin skidded partially up the sandy beach and jumped over the side. The two brought it the rest of the way up and secured the line to a heavy downed log.

Chin knew there was something wrong immediately when he saw that Steve was indeed alone and visibly troubled. "Danny? Russ?"

Steve rubbed both hands over his face before clapping a hand on each of Chin's shoulders and giving him a warm shake. "I am so glad you're here."

But Steve's eyes were almost haunted as he glanced out towards the boat and saw Maggie's silhouette. She was standing quietly and it looked like both hands covered her mouth. The gesture was obviously one of fright as she sized up the two lone figures on the beach and he knew what she was probably thinking.

"There was an explosion ... on the boat. Russ is dead .. this is going to kill her." He said the words in a soft colorless voice as his hands dropped down. Steve kept staring out at Maggie as he heaved a sigh and his voice broke.

"He died instantly below deck in the blast. Probably something with the engines. But I don't know .. it was too fast. And now the storm may have destroyed what was left of the boat. We may never find out."

"Oh my god." Chin said quietly as he followed Steve's gaze and took in the agonized expression. His posture was much too stoic, much too stiff. Chin could see that Steve was quietly rattled and trying to hide it. "She knew something was wrong. But not this."

Putting a hand on Steve's arm, Chin worriedly pulled Steve out of his sad reverie. "Where's Danny? Is he okay?"

"Yeah." Steve shook himself out of the mental malaise and started to jog quickly back towards the small out-cropping. The two clambered over the field of downed trees and debris as Steve filled Chin in.

"He got hurt in the blast and it's going to be rough getting him out of here. Concussion, bad laceration on his head."

As they neared the cave, Steve stopped and grabbed Chin's arm before they entered the small rocky depression. Almost whispering at the continued impossibility of what had happened, Steve's voice was rough with worry. "And .. he can't hear. The concussion … he can't hear, Chin."

Chin felt the breath leave his lungs and his stomach clenched painfully at the news. "Are you telling me that Danny's deaf? Actually … _deaf_?"

Steve's eyes held a dark misery as he nodded once and then composed himself instantly before going into the cave.

"But it will be okay. We just need to get him out of here."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: no conspiracy theories – truly a bad luck mechanical issue with the old boat. The muse insisted that Doctor Ramirez had to show up – so hmm, here he is!**

**Thank you for the well wishes about my business travel. I have a lot of travel over the next few months for some reason. The trips are great once I get there - love the people I meet and I totally enjoy myself. Super busy events! These next few are for our war Veterans in conjunction with the Small Business Association and the VA. So MUCH fun and well worth it. Fabulous, amazing people! It's just that I work for an incredibly un-informed company that wishes to remain ignorant – no matter what I say (and I say a lot).**

**For example: I use big words. So I was told in my review that I "use too many big words" and need to "dumb down" my presentations. What? Huh? Who says crap like that? I'm sorry - I do government contracting it would BEHOOVE you to WISE UP. I can't dumb down a legal contract very much. *sigh***

**This wonderful FF community saves my sanity – thank you! And please accept my apologies in advance for using too many big words. **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

_**Chapter 5**_

Danny was lying exactly as Steve had left him. On his back with the cloth over his eyes, but now his breathing had changed to become more rapid and distressed. It was obvious that he had a headache bordering on the magnitude of a migraine and that the nausea was setting in with a vengeance. His right arm was thrown limply across his face but his fist was white-knuckle tight.

"He looks awful." Chin whispered in a stunned voice as they both dropped down next to him. Gently grasping the raised forearm, Steve moved it away from Danny's face and the bandages. He frowned at a dot of fresh red blood that had seeped into the gauze as he quickly rewet the rag. But Danny's eyes remained screwed up in pain and he moaned as Steve ran the cloth of his face and neck. "Steve. Sick again.

"He's a mess; complaining about sharp pains in his head and the nausea's bad if he moves." Steve remarked worriedly, as he took in the pale, sweaty face. "This is going to get worse before it gets better when we move him now. But we have to get him out of here."

Gently, he put his hand on Danny's chest and prodded him in an attempt to get his attention. When he finally squinted his eyes open, Steve was directly in his view and talking slowly. He was also smiling as he pulled Chin closer like a prized trophy.

"Look. Chin's here."

"Cavalry." Danny hushed out through a gray haze. He was utterly relieved to see a friendly face but having two soundless people talking at him was almost unbearable. Blinking in confusion as Chin and Steve began to talk over his head, he quickly stopped attempting to follow the conversation. It was too fast; much too dizzying and small sparkling dots were appearing in his vision as his head continued to pound.

"We'll have to carry him between us." Steve stated, as he placed his hand back on Danny's chest. It took longer to rouse Danny the second time and the two men exchanged a distressed look.

"There's no other way." The words were almost said for Steve's sake as Danny tried to grind his palm into the center of his forehead. Chin nodded in agreement as the bleary eyes finally opened from a pained half-doze to watch Steve's lips.

"Now, I'm putting my fire out." Steve smirked as he spoke slowly and tapped his own chest with one finger. But the joke only received a weak half-grin from of the injured man. Continuing slowly, he prepared Danny for the move and then waited to be sure he was understood.

"We have to sit you up and then we're going to carry you down to the beach. Then the boat. Then home. Okay?"

Danny sighed and took a shuddering breath. He knew the change in position and the movement would send stabbing pains through his head and he'd no doubt, become nauseous and then sick. But he nodded once as he set his jaw determinedly and lifted his arms up for each man to take.

It took nearly twenty minutes to get Danny down to the dingy because of the heavy debris that had become a difficult obstacle course; made especially tricky now that dusk was setting in earnest. And then as predicted, Danny was miserably sick but none of the three was willing to stop at that point and stopping wouldn't have mattered anyway. Gagging and retching, Steve held him up as Chin piloted the small rubber craft back to the larger boat. Mooring was almost impossible in the rough waters and it took everyone's combined efforts to finally get Danny safely on the larger boat and then situated below deck where the miserable gagging continued to eventually leave him limp and barely responsive.

He was shaking from the strain and making no attempt to watch Steve or anyone by that point. The aura from the migraine was something new that only added to his overall misery. But he had muttered a plea just to leave and get home. With a hand wrapped in Steve's shirt, he made his point clear.

"M'fine. Just do it. Just go." It was a cheerless little whisper as he slammed his eyes shut for a last time. He could barely see for the aura and the incessant movement now of the boat in the storm roughened waters was going to prove brutal. So he entirely missed Steve's wry smile as he was wrapped in heavy blankets and another rag was used to wipe his face and neck.

"Brave Danno. Almost home." Steve whispered inaudibly as he gently elevated his head and tucked in the last blanket. Rewetting a new cloth, he laid it over Danny's forehead and eyes. And then looked for the boat's first aid kit. Carefully, he cleaned and redressed the laceration until he was sure that he'd done everything humanly possible for the long ardurous trip back to the marina. With a tired groan, he got up from his bent position and turned to face Maggie where she'd been hovering behind his back; Kono's arm soothingly draped around her shoulders.

They both had helped where they could to settle Danny as they waited for Steve. She was desperate to talk to him. But Maggie already knew Russ was dead and she was trembling as tears filled her eyes. Steve was more morose and withdrawn than she had ever seen him. And the truth was, in her heart she had known the entire time.

Her first clue was the dead air on the radio, followed then by the vacant faulty signals from the GPS system. And when she'd reached the coordinates, there was no boat. The _R.A. Titanic_ was truly gone. Her last remaining hopes had been dashed when the two men left the beach only to bring Danny back down to the dingy. Then, Maggie's knees had weakened and Kono had guided her down to the bench.

So as Chin took the controls topside, Steve stood up and turned to just hug Maggie. There were no words and she began to sob in earnest at the simple gesture.

"I don't know what happened exactly with the boat. It happened just before the storm and we lost the GPS and the radio." Steve murmured softly. He didn't want to say too much about fires and explosions. That part was too newly devastating for anyone to hear. So he gave the best and most basic explanation he could and Maggie blindly accepted it for the moment.

"Danny and I tried. We really did, and I'm so sorry that we couldn't reach him. It all just happened too fast. Within seconds really." Steve gently pushed Maggie to one of the lower benches and wrapped a spare blanket around her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry." Maggie gave him a short nod as she burst into tears again and he knelt down to take her hand. "I'm here to talk more. It's not going to be enough, but let me know what you need. What I can do to help. Right now, I'm going up to help Chin, but I will be back in a minute."

He then moved Kono a short distance away and spoke quickly. "Danny's bad off. His hearing was affected by the boat explosion and he has a concussion. He can't hear anything – at all." Kono's was shocked by the news and barely nodded as she glanced over to where Danny lay.

"I'll be right back .. stay with both of them."

Chin looked over his shoulder as Steve came topside. "How is everyone?" His face was dark and dejected as he watched his course and dealt with the high seas.

"Not good. Not good at all." Steve replied truthfully as he exhaustedly rubbed both hands over his face and then picked up the mic for the marine radio in order to call for a waiting ambulance at the docks. But both he and Chin frowned as they were told emergency services was swamped and that the last Coast Guard cutter just brought in four injured from a capsized sailboat. Area hospitals were busy with injured and ambulance crews were tied up.

"We'll take him ourselves then. First things first." Chin remarked as he motored as fast as he dared. "I can't go too fast with these waves or it will rattle him around like a marble."

The pace that Chin set was very determined and as steady as it could be considering the high rolling waves. Even with such care, Danny physically had enough on the long, rough ride and was beyond being able to communicate by the time they readied to dock at the marina. The heavy throbbing of the boat's engines vibrated through his very core and seemed to settle in his brain. That feeling combined with the rough plunging movements through the waves was more than he could endure. And though he never once complained, the painful knife-like spike through Danny's head had become unbearably relentless. Incredibly weakened, he lay nearly unconscious as they pulled in and made plans to move him once again.

"Danno." Steve was on his knees in front of Danny as he began remove blankets and failed at awakening him. And he began to shiver uncontrollably as Steve removed the last blankets and his sweat-soaked body felt the cooler air.

"Sorry." Steve murmured as Danny began to moan in his first stirrings of real protest. "We're home. But we have to do this one more time."

Steve grimaced as he checked Danny's much too fast pulse and shallow respiration. Plus his clammy skin was soaked in sweat; an already dangerous sign considering the violence of the vomiting and dry heaves. Steve worriedly looked up as Chin came down the short stairs below deck.

"He's in shock. Let's do this the same way." With Kono and Maggie's combined help, the four got Danny off the boat and onto the dock. Without a word, Maggie ran back down below deck to grab the blankets as Kono raced ahead to bring Steve's truck closer.

Within minutes, Danny was settled in the back seat with his head elevated on Steve's lap while blankets were once again tucked around him. No one was speaking as Kono stayed behind the wheel and Maggie tearfully got in the front passenger seat.

"I'll be right behind you." Chin called out over his shoulder as he ran to get his own car. But Kono was already hitting the lights and moving as rapidly as she dared to the closest hospital.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

The closest hospital's emergency room was bustling with an over-stretched staff managing what could be called normal regular business along with six injured sea-goers also impacted by the freak storm. Maggie had a pale aura around her face, but had insisted on staying to help and she was the one to bolt through the ER doors to secure a gurney and an available technician.

"Todd's on Maui with friends. He's safe. I can't do this on the phone. I don't want to be alone. And I need to do _**something**_. I need to be _**here**_. Even if just for a few minutes." Maggie blurted it all out in a rush as she returned minutes later with both in tow. Steve sighed sadly as they transferred Danny to the gurney, but then they were told that they had to wait for an available trauma room which nearly sent Steve into a neighboring orbit. So now they stood huddled in a small corner of the ER's waiting room.

Having now reached his own limits, Steve was irate but working hard to control his temper at the very understandable state of affairs thrust upon the hospital.

"_Damned albatross."_ He muttered to himself as he watched the somewhat organized chaos in the emergency room. Frustrated and over-wrought, Steve was nearly trampled by a nurse carrying a small tray of viles.

"We finally get him here and we're no better off." Steve fumed at Kono as she tucked in the same blankets from their cousin's boat around Danny's trembling body.

Kono watched in awe as a doctor sprinted past their small group to lend support for a code blue that had been screamed out from a distant trauma room. "This is insane." She said spinning in place.

Chin returned with his hands out-stretched since he was equally at a loss. "I can't get anyone's attention with or without my badge."

Two nurses were hectically managing the ER board listing patients and attempting to prioritize their criticality. Danny was on the list, but more than mid-way down based on a nurse's very hasty examination. And after thirty minutes, they still hadn't seen hide nor hair of a doctor, nurse or even the technician that had first helped them transfer Danny from truck to gurney.

The stress of the day was also beginning to escalate to new heights for Maggie and the chaos affected her in a most surprising way. If Russ had been there, she would have done exactly the same thing and she couldn't help herself now as she bore down on an unsuspecting nurse.

Maggie snagged the nurse's arm firmly and pointed towards the board. "I get that your swamped here. I do. Any idea on how long our friend has to wait? He's in shock, a great deal of pain, and has a severe head wound." Steve's eyes widened in alarm as he left Danny to walk over to the distraught woman.

The nurse was trying to explain and shake Maggie's hold to move away as someone urgently called her name. "I really don't know .. others are prioritized higher. Two more critical cases are coming in from what I hear. I can only tell you that we also have more staff called up. TAMC may be sending help since all Honolulu hospitals are overwhelmed."

"Ah, Maggie?" Steve whispered a bit too harshly as he tried to intervene by putting an arm around her shoulders. He enveloped her one hand with his own in another attempt to release the relentless grip that she had on the nurse. But instead of doing that, Maggie dug in and gave the resisting arm a little shake.

"If we can't have a doctor or a _real_ nurse, then I want a room .. any room .. he can't stay out here in his condition." And as if to prove the validity of the point, a second gurney being pushed by an ER technician accidentally bumped into Danny's as the space seemed to become even smaller and over-run with both patients and staff.

"Hey brah! Watch it!" Kono glared at the technician in a fury. Chin leaned over Danny protectively with worried eyes. Even though slight, the bump had jostled him and the painful migraine had undoubtedly flared. Steve scowled as the sounds of the faint moan reached his ears.

"She's right." Setting his jaw and changing course as he still fought to control his own rising temper, Steve gave Maggie a warm hug and agreed. So now the nurse was held by two firm hands as her eyes widened almost, but not quite, in fear.

"A room. We need a room. Somewhere more quiet until a doctor is available."

Steve started as a large hand gripped his shoulder from behind. Before being released, the pressure conveyed a strongly combined warning to _back-off_ with a plea for patience. His jaw opened in absolute surprise as their somewhat trapped nurse muttered '_thank god_' and completely relaxed. Steve and then Maggie dropped their hands from the nurse who dramatically rubbed her arm.

"You should have just come to TAMC immediately. However, I would have been _here_ of course." The statement was dry and slightly sarcastic from the imposing doctor who stood arrogantly behind Steve with his hands once again characteristically jammed deeply into his pockets.

"Or perhaps you knew that? Ergo, you are here. Hello Commander." The grin that creased Steve's face was automatic and full of a genuine relief.

"_**Ergo**_?" A sharp spontaneous laugh burst of Steve at the use of one of Danny's favorite words. And the new doctor frowned quizzically at him. But he rocked on his toes as he caught the swift movement out of the right corner of his eye. Immediately, his other hand came up and slammed a warning finger directly into Kono's grinning face as she strode happily over to greet him.

"No hugs. None, Officer Kalakaua. _Ever_." Doctor Ramirez quirked an eyebrow at the group and then stared down at the nurse who had begun to make her escape.

"No. No. Don't leave." The blandly drawled words stopped the nurse cold in her tracks and she turned to face the doctor as he introduced himself.

"Ramirez. Chief of Surgery and ER. Tripler Army Medical Center." He was amused as it sunk in and he got a small '_yes sir_' from the nurse. "My team is here to help." Five other nurses and doctors slowly sauntered over to flank the doctor.

"I need a room for him. Now. Private or trauma .. I don't care which. But put down whatever it is you're doing for five minutes and … Find. Me. One. Now."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: I've admittedly not had time to respond to many many wonderful messages, comments and reviews. Please accept this chapter as consolation! And know that I will get back to each one of you - thank you as always! **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

_**Chapter 6**_

Danny had been oblivious to the struggle taking place over him that first focused on stabilizing his much too low blood pressure and reversing what Doctor Ramirez in a rising fury termed "_the obvious symptoms of stage two compensatory shock_."

Ramirez began assessing Danny's condition on the gurney in the small ER waiting room and had been unable to hide his livid reaction to the increased shallow breathing and rising heart rate that were going completely unnoticed by the hospital's regular over-worked staff. In short, Danny had become a critical case and no one had the time nor the inclination to acknowledge it.

With a too low blood pressure, he had become hypotensive. And even though he was unconscious, Danny had also begun to hyperventilate as his breathing increased dramatically in a vain attempt to bring in oxygen and his body tried to battle the various imbalances. He was minutes from entering an even more critical progressive stage three shock that would create an earnest breakdown of his organs as cellular function deteriorated; with the potential for damaging his body in an irreversible manner.

When the regular staff nurse returned to show them which room to move Danny, Doctor Ramirez had turned on her in a barely concealed rage. "_My own head nurse will be taking over your triage starting now. This patient is critical and about to crash. I understand we were called here for a rather urgent reason, but I would have expected better than this from a supposedly respected sister-hospital!_"

Dictating orders to take control of two dire situations, Ramirez soon had the ER running more efficiently as he managed his own course of emergency triage. Under the doctor's adroit direction, Danny was quickly started on full oxygen. And once he was moved to a private room, he was hooked up to both blood pressure and heart monitors within minutes. Methodically, lines were run for IV fluids to support his distressed and dehydrated system, broad spectrum antibiotics were prescribed, and a separate IV port was inserted in his opposite arm for additional critical medications to be dispensed that would laboriously bring up the blood pressure to a more stable and acceptable level. All of this was judiciously managed without stressing Danny's heart muscle which was working over-time from the physiological strain.

Steve wasn't sure he had ever seen Ramirez this focused or demanding as the man took charge of Danny's case and simultaneously provided direction and skillful consult to other critical cases entering the emergency room. But his worry had heightened to new levels as he listened to the doctor's commands and watched the endless flurry of activity taking place around Danny. Steve had only dared to ask once if he was going to be alright, but Ramirez had ignored him entirely and a nurse had effectively forced them all from the room to wait in the hallway.

That had been more than fourteen hours earlier. Two hours after that, Ramirez had cautiously declared Danny as being in serious but stable condition. Glaring at one of the resident hospital's nursing staff, Ramirez was intimidating and still hadn't let go of the woeful lack of earlier organization.

"That was unnecessarily close." He warned her, as he pocketed his stethoscope and allowed the team back into the room. She blanched and nodded her understanding as she squeezed past them for her next urgent case.

Though pale and obviously ill, Danny finally seemed to be resting peacefully and had ceased the incessant shivering. Ramirez stepped back with some satisfaction as the team worriedly looked to him for an update. Still very annoyed, he repeated his recent words in with a disgusted tone. "Yes. Rather … _unnecessary_."

He then described what would be happening next; Danny's head wound would be duly cleaned and sutured. CAT scans and MRI's had already been scheduled and would subsequently rule out a fractured skull, though there was minor swelling from a small contusion. All of these things had been managed as the patient lay blissfully unconscious and completely unaware.

And once Ramirez had established that Danny was stable and the necessary exams were being scheduled, Maggie had announced she was going home. Her comment about calling for a taxi was met with a very loud snort of disapproval from Kono.

"_As if!_" Kono had remarked sarcastically as she hugged Maggie tightly. And then Steve and Chin both joined in quickly to vehemently disagree. It had been close to midnight and the final agreement made for Maggie was that both Kono and Steve would drive her and then stay as long as they were welcome. Her son, Todd was due to come home in the early morning hours. And right or wrong, Maggie decided to wait for him instead of making what would be a terrible phone call.

"_He'll be home in just a few hours. It's his friend's eighteenth birthday and they're all celebrating_."

Maggie had hesitated as tears filled her eyes and she second guessed her decision. "_I think it's okay if I just wait .. he's taking the first flight home anyway. And .. I need to see him. Not .. not … by phone._"

Kono had readily agreed and supported the distraught woman's decision. "_I'll stay if you want me to. For as long as you need me._"

And Steve had also gone along out of a strong need to do what was right as one of the last people to see Russ. He had stayed for the painful discussion with Todd. He had sadly shared the same details as he'd explained to Todd's mother and left it at that for the time being. In his mother's stalwart fashion, Todd had squared his shoulders and bravely absorbed the news about his father. There was no doubt that he was devastated, but Todd had looked immediately to see if Maggie was okay. And the two joined together to comfort each other in the quiet of their home.

But Maggie had asked if Kono could stay a bit longer .. finding comfort with another woman's presence in the house. She had also insisted that Steve remain and sleep in the spare bedroom.

Mentally and physically exhausted, Maggie was all about caring for him as she tried to physically pull Steve back into the house. "_You should get some rest. I just realized that you've been on your feet, for what? Almost twenty-four hours now_? "

But he'd begged off and quietly excused himself while catching Todd's eye and motioning casually to his mother.

"_Frankly Maggie, you need to get off your own feet."_ Steve said the words just loud enough for Todd to hear and her son got the subtle hint as he quickly walked over to stand near his mother.

"_I'm perfectly fine. Get some rest. You were really wonderful today .. in every way_." Steve meant the comment warmly and whole-heartedly as he hugged her with his own sincere thanks. "_Kono will stay; and I promise I'll call or even be back later._"

On the way to the hospital, Steve had called the Coast Guard to request that a diving team be assigned to search for any wreckage and to see if anything could be recovered .. most especially, Russ Anderson's body … if it could be found after the storm. Resources were still stretched thin, but a team would be dispatched as the new day started and Five-0 would be contacted first regarding their findings.

So Chin had remained in the hospital with Danny; waiting patiently for each and every test and result to be checked off a very long list. He was now sleeping in the room's somewhat comfortable recliner. And it was fast approaching dawn as Steve entered the private room only to be disheartened that in all that time, Danny had yet to awaken. A full ten hours after his final test had been completed, Danny still had yet to move or even twitch a single muscle.

"Ten hours." Steve marked the time verbally as he looked at the wall clock and then glanced over to Danny's stubbornly unmoving body. "Fourteen hours from the time Doc Ramirez arrived."

He sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes which had begun to burn relentlessly in his head. The lurking shadows of the various leads and monitors cast themselves eerily throughout the darkened and very quiet room. Steve had just returned after being away from the hospital for a large portion of those many hours and now dawn was rising as the sky brightened significantly outside.

The nurse frowned as she took in Steve's rumpled, dirty clothes and the deeply smudged circles under his eyes. He was unsteady on his feet, almost as pale as her patient and looked ready for a hospital bed of his own. She was in the process of leaving after checking Danny's vitals and had made notations in his chart. She had whispered the brief update to Steve as she started to leave to continue her rounds.

"He's still in serious condition though much improved and he does have a severe concussion, but the tests revealed no sign of a skull fracture. There's definitely some good news there."

But when Steve asked, she was unaware of any next steps or plans for Danny to see an audiologist. "I'm sorry, that … I don't know." Briefly, she leafed through his chart to double-check as Steve sighed unhappily and tiredly leaned against the door frame.

"No, and Doctor Ramirez didn't leave any particular messages or directions. I'll follow up with him. He'll be back later today to check on the status of the patients we've acquired."

Steve looked at her confusion and he rubbed his forehead in an attempt to remove the weary ache that was settling in both temples.

"Acquire .. _acquired_?" His throat was suddenly dry and his voice sounded rough as he stumbled over the one word. Taking his arm, the nurse backed him out into the hallway and seemed almost amused that Steve hadn't recognized her.

"I work for Doctor Ramirez. We've met before. And I do remember seeing you when we first arrived to help with this unfortunate debacle. One or two of the most critical patients will be transferred to TAMC once they've stabilized. So yes, we've acquired them as cases."

Her explanation was succinct and confident. But she was sizing Steve up and down and her attitude was unnervingly similar to her employer's. "When's the last time that you had something to eat or drink? I had assumed that you left the hospital to rest and freshen up."

Picking at his filthy shirt, she wrinkled her nose in disapproval. "Obviously, I was wrong. Chin Ho won't be happy about this either."

Steve was only vaguely intrigued by her use of Chin's name. In actuality, he couldn't quite wrap his muddled head around a few things. And her comments and observations acted like a finger that would flick a switch _off_. The words inadvertently shut Steve's system down as a wave of real fatigue coursed through his body. He paled even more as the ache in his head increased and then he swayed alarmingly on his feet as he tried to simultaneously do the math, think back in time and not fall over.

All that came out of his mouth was a bewildered, '_umm..?_' as he blankly stared at her kind face and it began to blur and shimmer. His mind automatically had gone back to the minutes before the explosion .. to when all three were having lunch on the _R.A. Titanic _in the brightly happy sunshine of a beautiful day discussing the differences between an 'island' and 'islet'. Steve zoned out and gasped audibly as the remembered the blue of the ocean, heard the natural tumble of their conversation, and all of the many sights and scents of that instant memory completely flooded his senses .. _before_ Russ had left them to go below decks. _Before_ the explosion and just _before_ Russ had been killed.

He could almost feel the boat gently moving in the waves, but Steve was the one moving as his vision blackened around the edges and he lost his balance. His knees then simply buckled and he hit the tiled floor of the hospital's corridor. Totally disoriented, he sprawled on his back and then tried to roll onto his side in an awkward attempt to get up.

"What?" Steve muttered as he blinked in confusion and tried to desperately focus his eyes on the blurry shape of the nurse who was now on her knees and calling for help. She was determinedly pushing him back down and winning as Steve's body finally shut down into a limp, worn out and uncoordinated puddle.

And he was still on his back like a stranded turtle as Chin bolted out of Danny's room to help the nurse keep Steve prone until more staff arrived and he was lifted to the gurney for triage of his own.

"What happened!" Chin exclaimed in surprise as he reached Steve's side. But one look at the disheveled, exhausted man who now lay on a gurney told him everything that he needed to know and he scowled angrily. "You need a full-time keeper."

"I'm fine." Steve mumbled again as he tried to pitch himself off the gurney once it began to move rapidly down the hallway. But both Chin and the nurse each had a firm hold of an arm as he was wheeled into a nearby available hospital room. The hazy view of the ceiling flying by made him blink dizzily and his stomach lurched uncontrollably. An attending physician appeared and began using his penlight to annoyingly check Steve's pupils as his shirt was removed and a blood pressure cuff was put into place.

The swarm of people around him was disconcerting and Steve again tried to push them off. "S'okay." He slurred again as his vision blurred and he finally realized Chin was there.

"Chin! M'fine. Tell 'em." He slurred as he weakly struggled against Chin's stronger hands. He only stopped the feeble attempts at resisting when he felt a prick in his arm as an IV line was inserted for fluids.

"Not necessary." Sinking into the pillows, he grimaced as his eyes closed and he continued to complain. "Really, m'fine."

"No, Steve you're not _**fine**_ and I should have known better." Chin was furious at himself for not intervening before Steve quite literally collapsed from exhaustion and dehydration himself. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance as the tell-tale signs of low blood pressure and rapid pulse were called out to the doctor. And as he continued to hold Steve down, Chin shook his head at the pale, sweaty man on the bed.

"Stay in the bed, Steve. Just lay there and let them look at you for a change." Chin ground out the orders between clenched teeth.

"Exhaustion is obvious, as is dehydration. The confusion is part and parcel." Bending over Steve, the doctor tried to question him. "Were you one of the injured from the storm? Why didn't anyone examine you?" Chin rolled his eyes in frustration as Steve seemed to completely mis-understand the doctor's questions and furrowed his brow.

"Storm? Don't need to be examined. M'fine." Steve grimaced and then groaned as a sharp pain hit his stomach. Chin looked with concern to the doctor, but he had noticed and pulled Steve's hand away to palpate the area.

"And that would hurt because you're severely dehydrated my friend."

With a hand firmly planted on Steve's chest to keep him down in case he objected again to the unwanted care, Chin answered in his stead and his tone was laced with sarcasm. "He's been too _busy_ to be checked out and I'll take responsibility for enabling the stupidity. And yes, he was not only caught in the storm, but the boat he had been on exploded."

The doctor hesitated and looked now to Chin in total disbelief before responding. "I'm sorry? What?"

But head nurse Ellen Ramirez, wife and co-worker of the much esteemed Doctor Ramirez was positioning an oxygen mask over Steve's nose and mouth and she merely chuckled. Steve had already drifted off but his face had yet to relax. His forehead was still creased in a combination of discomfort and confusion. She sighed and easily pushed his hand down when it unconsciously drifted up to weakly try and pull the mask off.

"Well, he can consider himself officially admitted to this hospital … beginning now."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

_**Chapter 7**_

A complete and utter black silence once again greeted him upon waking. It was jarring to be sleeping one moment and simply awake the next. Startled by the absence of sound, Danny's eyes flew open in alarm as his heart reached his throat and then he was instantly depressed. Usually, like more than half the modern world, Danny woke to some type of noise. That could be anything from the sounds of bustling traffic outside his window to the alarm on his cell phone or the pounding surf on the occasions he stayed at Steve's. And on supposedly quiet weekends when he could sleep in, even the old refrigerator in the small apartment hummed, rumbled and squeaked in the background. All the sounds he might first hear but then eventually tuned out .. all of them were his choice to tune out or turn off. And Danny never realized how loud - how very present - all those sounds really had been regardless of the choice.

So now, he hesitated and suddenly blinked too many times with the saddest of all thoughts but he cruelly forced himself to finish it. On those weekends when he had Grace, he always .. _always_ .. woke laughing to her giddy voice shouting at him to '_wake up Danno! what are we doing today_?' Not his career and what may or may not become of that ... but Grace's sounds. He already missed her voice on the days he didn't speak with her. But what would happen now? That thought made his heart hammer louder as it was the most devastating of all possibilities.

With only being able to feel his heart pounding, he moaned as his headache kicked back in to keep time to the thudding beats. By reflex, he closed his eyes and winced as his fingers carefully touched the bandages on his head. They were heavier, more expertly done and Danny didn't doubt that he now sported a row of stitches under the gauze. And he was still completely deaf.

He was also alone in the silent room and morning light was illuminating the blinds that someone had wisely kept closed should he awaken. To save his eyes. To protect him from more pain should he still be suffering from a migraine. But the last thing he vaguely remembered was Steve and Chin settling him on the boat where every movement sent spikes of debilitating pain through his head. He easily recalled the unrelenting nausea, dry heaves and then how he'd become so violently cold. Unable to stop shaking, the last thing he thought he saw was the wildly pitching floor of the boat as they traveled back to the marina. Danny was a bit disoriented and he inhaled a shuddering breath as he tried to calm his breathing. But he was still completely deaf and he began to tremble.

He made himself look around the room in order to give his mind time to catch up to the fact that he was safely tucked into a warm hospital bed. A blood pressure cuff seemed to be permanently placed on his arm and it annoyingly inflated as it took another scheduled reading. His eyes followed other lines to the hanging bags of fluids and antibiotics, plus the leads to the heart monitor. He knew that particular machine was undoubtedly making a variety of beeping noises that were probably fluctuating madly since he still was failing to quiet his breathing. The array of equipment was almost impressive and he wondered exactly how sick he was for the extensive amount of attention. Things were being done for him and he willed himself to calm down until he knew more.

And he didn't feel well, but he certainly felt _better_ if he compared the current steady dull roar of a headache to the past feeling of a hot spike being drilled incessantly into his head. The migraine was gone as were the floating sparkling black dots that had so nauseatingly affected his vision. But his mouth had gone dry and his throat was uncomfortably rough and very sore from the vomiting and gagging. Turning his head slightly to the left, the small table that held the plastic water pitcher and cup was much too far away and he coughed painfully as he tried to clear his scratchy throat.

Danny looked up as movement by the door caught his eye and he squinted to see an older nurse hesitate before entering his room to speak to someone outside in the hallway. But a few minutes later, she came in quickly followed by Chin. She was saying something and Chin was nodding anxiously .. neither yet noticing that he was watching them. Evidently his startled awakening had triggered the heart monitor, which in turn must be making noises or had magically notified the nurse that something could be wrong.

Chin noticed Danny first and a huge smile crossed his face as he strode over to the bed. The smile was genuine but his eyes included another expression that looked like annoyance or self-reproach combined with worry. He may have mouthed that he was '_sorry'_, but Danny wasn't sure. Chin then hid any of his gloom about Danny trying to read his lips as he obviously voiced his name and slowly asked if he were okay.

He seemed concerned as he watched the nurse before turning back to Danny. "It's good to see you finally awake. How are you feeling?"

His whisper was weak and raspy, but Danny managed a tiny nod as he replied. "Chin. Yeah .. better."

The nurse was kept busy for the moment checking his vitals and retaking his blood pressure before also trying to see how her patient was feeling. The heart monitor had indeed jumped and his blood pressure was slightly elevated, as was his temperature. Everything was duly noted in his charts before she leaned over him to fix his blankets and raise the head of the bed slightly.

Danny studied the older nurse's face and then slowly smiled.

"Nurse Ellen." He croaked out and then coughed harshly. The vibration made him wince as his head pounded in double time to his heart.

She rubbed his arm happily and said something much too fast that he couldn't follow but it included the words '_partner'_ and "_someone knows_" all of which made Chin laugh.

But Danny almost scowled at the unintended private joke. Before he could grumble about missing it, Ellen was raising the bed higher and plopping the cup now filled with cool water into his hands. With a finger in warning, Ellen made it clear that he was to go slow and he clearly read the words "_or else_". So Danny nodded as he obediently took small sips through the straw. But the nod made him wince again as the headache reacted to the motion and she took his hand firmly to get his attention. Tapping her own head as if it hurt, she frowned when he muttered '_yes'_. Holding both hands up and spreading her fingers wide, she clearly asked on a scale of one to ten, how badly?

"How bad is the headache Danny?" His blood pressure was elevated, as was his heart rate. Ellen guessed it was a combination of being in pain and waking with some level of agitation.

"You're fine. Go slow." She stated as she took his pulse and tried to ease his breathing. "How is your head though? You have a very bad concussion."

Danny considered the question and grudgingly held up six of his own fingers. Ellen seemed annoyed on his behalf as she checked his records and then her watch. Leaving the room, she was soon back with an IV pain medication that was slowly injected into the spare port on his arm.

"Better." Danny sighed as he relaxed and the headache virtually vanished. Before closing his eyes, he handed the cup of water to Chin, who had decided to sit next to Danny on the bed. He was already becoming tired but wanted to know what had been happening so he forced his eyes back open as he studied Chin's face closely.

"How long was I out?" He asked in a whisper. Chin smiled gently as he studiously reported "_eighteen hours_" to include the time when Doctor Ramirez had first arrived, and watched Danny's expression change to one of complete surprise. Pointing to his own head, he sketched the shape of the bandages to explain Danny's injuries.

"And, ten stitches. The concussion. Plus dehydrated and a bit of a fever it seems too." Chin sadly hesitated since the hearing loss was obviously the most distressing.

Danny knew that all too well as he dropped his eyes to the bed and he softly muttered, "That's a long time." Changing the subject, he reached for Chin to tap his knee. "Where's Steve then?"

Looking at Ellen, Chin grinned ruefully and shook his head before trying to explain where Steve was. The explanation was complicated and it included a hand gesture that plainly showed Danny that Steve was sleeping two doors down from his own room.

"Sick?" Danny asked with some worry. "Was he hurt?" Chin sighed as he slowly tried to explain that Steve had done too much, was exhausted and now hooked up to IV fluids of his own. Holding up four fingers Chin essentially said that Steve had been admitted and sleeping now for only the last four hours.

"I was just with him. He's sleeping." Chin turned a finger towards himself and it made Danny roll his eyes and shake his head in disagreement. "He never stopped moving. He needs rest and he's dehydrated. I should have seen it coming."

"No, he's impossible." And as Danny got it all figured out, he made a face before muttering. "But what was he thinking? Now he's sick."

Ellen chuckled again and she shrugged to make it clear that Steve mostly certainly had not been thinking. But then she softened and changed her mind. Using her fingers, she counted off and said three very specific names which made things unmistakable to Danny.

"He _forgot_ to take care of himself." Danny smiled when he caught Chin making a ridiculously disgusted face at her words. Pointing to Danny, she continued. "He was definitely thinking. But about you and Maggie, plus what happened to his friend Russ. You all were his priorities. He _forgot_ and then it all caught up to him at once."

With a smug expression, Nurse Ellen Ramirez smiled broadly as she squeezed his arm gently before leaving. She enunciated each word as she tapped her nurse's name plate that was on the left shoulder of her uniform.

"But now he's _**mine**_ and I get to make all the hard decisions on his behalf."

Before leaving, Ellen remembered something as she pointed to her ears and slowly let Danny know that he would be seeing an audiologist later that day. "A doctor .. a specialist is coming .. to check you out. Doctor Tara Desai. She's wonderful and highly recommended from Tripler."

With some new uncertainty and something close to fear showing in his eyes, Danny nodded at Ellen's friendly, calming wink, but he looked to Chin's face.

"It'll be okay, Danny." Chin said softly, but his eyes mirrored some of that same worry as he repeated his words. "It will be fine."

Sitting quietly with Danny, he waited a few minutes before asking a very important question. Covering Danny's hand with his own, Chin carefully asked when he wanted to see Grace.

"I called Rachel last night but you were still in bad shape. Now that you're awake … " He stopped speaking in surprise as Danny began to fidget uncomfortably. The heart monitor beeped unevenly again and Chin squeezed his hand with concern. Danny had begun to tremble and his hand fisted the bedding.

"Danny? What's wrong? I thought … Grace …" But Danny was obviously upset by the idea as he shook his head and paled.

"No. I'm not sure." He whispered with glassy eyes. "No. I can't .. I need to think." Danny's voice broke as whispered the words while rubbing his palm between his tightly closed eyes. "Please. Chin. Not yet."

Worriedly, Chin held Danny's hand and tried to convey his support and understanding until he seemed to relax. And even though Danny's eyes were still closed, he murmured soothing words to his friend.

"Alright, whatever you want. I'll take care of it."

**~ to be continued ~**


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Notes: thank you to CinderH who puts up with my endless questions and constant beta requests! I'm sorry chapters are getting LONGER - I'm giving my poor Beta an awfully hard time lately! And I'm still catching up on your fantastic messages and reviews. My apologies if I haven't said thank you yet. I am traveling the rest of the week - a heads up that Chapter 9 will/may be delayed. But since this is extra long, I hope that will be okay!

And, the infiltrating doctor in this chapter is based on real experience. My mother was in rehab in a wing associated to a senior citizen's home. A dentist associated with the home attempted to examine my mother while in rehab and take her on as if she were to be transferred to the home full time. Not the case! She was there for about 3 weeks post a knee replacement and she called me very upset about this doctor she didn't know who insisted upon examining her. Hence, I had to intervene … it wasn't pleasant.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

_**Chapter 8**_

Glancing down at his mussed shirt, Chin was glad that Danny hadn't noticed the fresh bloody streaks that stained the lower right side. It would have been awkward to explain. And not only hadn't he seen it, Danny saved Chin from having to confess what had happened by simply falling asleep. While he definitely needed the rest, the next course of business would be for him to try a light meal or broth. And then the audiologist was expected to arrive around one o'clock that afternoon. It was barely nine o'clock in the morning and the first few hours of the day had already been too eventful. And much more was on tap.

Before calling his cousin, Chin now stood in the hallway between both rooms. Danny was definitely sleeping. Peeking into Steve's room, he saw that Ellen was still hovering over Steve's chart. But at least he too, was finally sleeping peacefully albeit reluctantly and only because of a sedative. Doctor Ramirez had just left the floor to visit three other critical patients that would be moved to Tripler that day for continued care. Depending upon what Doctor Tara Desai advised, Danny would be added to that list. Though Chin had a feeling that Doctor Ramirez had already coordinated _something_ with or without the new Doctor Desai's input based on the subtle quirk to his mouth. In fact, Ramirez hadn't made any bones about his dislike for the sister-hospital's business practices. It seemed that anyone under his care or a TAMC physicians' care - regardless of criticality - was being moved.

Chin slowly walked back to stand outside Danny's room to call Kono. Not only did he need to fill her in on what had been happening, he needed a clean shirt or even a complete change of clothes.

He snorted sarcastically as he muttered. "And reinforcements."

Chin originally hadn't intended to leave Danny alone, especially since he had been showing some signs of waking. But the startled shout from two doors away had brought multiple sets of feet pounding down the hallway. The agitated voice had been Steve's and Chin had automatically reacted by surging to his own feet.

Steve had been difficult during his collapse, and then restless as he denied his body's revolt from hours of steady exhausting abuse. Ellen had stayed for many minutes tediously blocking his hand from pushing off the oxygen mask and eventually from tugging on the nasal cannula. He had technically been sleeping – one could argue even unconscious – but the restless hands and resentful facial expressions proved Steve's ongoing argument with himself.

Eventually though, he had seemingly settled as his body's exhaustion won over his brain's perpetual activity and Ellen had left him to quietly rest. But just a few hours later, he had what seemed to be a very bad dream or was in some sort of semi-awakening state. And not only did he finally get rid of the nasal cannula, but he also yanked the IV line from his arm and was well on his way out of the bed. He would have possibly made it if not for the hospital technician who had bodily thrown himself over Steve's upper half in an attempt to keep him bedridden.

But the SEAL was on autopilot and reacted with his training to the perceived attack even more violently. His eyes were barely open as he snarled in anger and then cocked his arm back. And Steve might have been out of it, but his aim was true. Staggering backwards, the technician immediately needed help and Chin waded in while Ellen urgently paged Doctor Ramirez who had just arrived on site. The blood on Chin's shirt was from Steve's arm … from where the IV had been ripped out. Admittedly, some could also be from the technician's own busted lip. Steve had easily connected with the man's face and he would be black and blue for days.

Doctor Ramirez arrived a few agonizing minutes later as Chin and the technician struggled together to keep Steve prone. With a quick review of his chart, Ramirez inserted himself into the fray and administered a calming sedative. As the drug finally did its job and the alarming fight left Steve, the technician and Chin slowly eased themselves up.

"Hey Doc. Thanks." Chin said with a shaky voice. "I have no idea what that was. I didn't understand a word he was saying."

Chin was out of breath and almost panting from the unexpected tussle. Running a hand over his sweaty face, he stopped when he saw the doctor's quizzical look. He certainly hadn't expected to see Steve the object of the issue. "Uh, yeah. Steve became your newest patient as of early this morning when he collapsed from exhaustion."

The puff of air that came out of Ramirez was one of simple displeasure and he spoke as he turned to examine the technician's bloody face. "Exhaustion and dehydration according to his chart. He'll sleep a good long time now with the sedative I just gave him."

Ramirez hesitated as Steve groaned unintelligibly about something in his sleep and repositioned himself unhappily under the blankets. Chin stepped forward in an attempt to lay a calming hand on Steve's shoulder. But Ramirez pointed a finger at the sleeping man and then looked at Chin with something similar to annoyance on his face.

"If he hadn't left last night to take Mrs. Maggie Anderson home, mark my words he would have been in that bed much sooner. He got out from under my nose for five minutes!"

The doctor had been annoyed from the very first minute he had entered the hospital's doors. So now, with a final scowl at Steve for another incident that upset his professional order of things, he turned on his heel to leave the room. "Unnecessary. Quite unnecessary."

Ellen had squeezed out of the room once the doctor arrived to bring back the necessary supplies to clean the new wound and stem the dripping blood. Once that had been accomplished, she easily inserted a new line using Steve's opposite arm for the continued administration of fluids. Sheets stained with blood were replaced and Chin watched as the deep worried creases in Steve's forehead finally softened and then disappeared.

"We don't need a repeat of _that_." Chin had remarked mostly to himself as Steve's breathing also became more normal and a new nasal cannula was positioned.

Ellen partially grinned but she was upset as she finished making sure he was comfortable. "No. No we do not. He certainly snookered me this morning."

Glancing up as Nurse Ellen left Steve's room, Chin shook his head with disgust as he finally hit speed dial.

"Hey cuz, I hate to ask and understand if you can't. But when do you think you can you come back?"

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Doctor Neil Hathaway reviewed the patient's chart at the nurse's station in plain view. A well respected audiologist in his own right, he was confused and a bit miffed that the TAMC professionals had acquired all of the best cases for themselves. While arguably TAMC did have the best specialists in terms of particular traumas, Doctor Hathaway saw no reason why '_Williams, Daniel_' had remained under their case list. And as the two hospitals weeded out and finalized methods of care for the various patients brought in from the storm, he felt that at least this one patient might remain.

In fact, Hathaway wasn't the only specialist who disagreed with the patient transfers. But he in particular, who had little opportunity to manage a true blast trauma, felt it his right to demand that he be the one to manage this particular patient's ongoing care.

After checking the room number, Hathaway tucked Danny's chart under his arm as he decided to visit and get acquainted with the man. He had a pad, pencil and iPad should the patient need more than one way to communicate. Hathaway had seen that Danny had a minor contusion on his brain .. a concussion caused by flying debris in the blast. And he was still listed in serious but stable condition. But since the concussion could easily be causing ongoing confusion or limit the patient's ability to understand or speak, pictures or using a touch-screen instrument such as an iPad, could prove best.

The doctor was disappointed to see that his new patient was sleeping. Using his time well, he took the opportunity to notate Danny's vitals as the blood pressure cuff and heart monitors reported their ongoing findings. The two most disturbing issues related to his patient's low grade temperature and his severe concussion, both of which would limit initial options such as surgery. Busy taking notes, he didn't realize that the patient had started to awaken.

Danny frowned as he slowly opened his eyes to find Doctor Hathaway flipping through what looked like his charts. The man was obviously a doctor but Danny couldn't remember ever having met him in the past.

"Uh, hello?" He whispered. "Do I know you? Have we met before?"

Hathaway was momentarily startled by the softly spoken words; but smiled with genuine warmth when he saw that Danny was looking at him. Speaking slowly and carefully, while simultaneously pulling out the pad and paper, he said his name and then wrote the same with the word '_audiologist'_ neatly on the paper to show Danny.

"I'm your audiologist and I came to introduce myself. How are you feeling?"

More confused than ever, Danny hesitated before answering and then asked about Doctor Desai. "I thought someone else was seeing me? Doc Ramirez arranged for someone to come later today? A woman .. Tara Desai?"

He was pleased that his patient was cognizant and evidently able to remember some current conversations that he'd obviously had with Doctor Ramirez. Taking notes mentally, Hathaway read discomfort in the man's eyes .. likely from the head wound and headache .. but also a keen awareness. However, he had to hide his rising irritation about the use of Desai's name. She was yet another Tripler advocate to compete against.

Continuing to smile, Hathaway nodded and breezily lied his way through what should have been a longer conversation. "Yes, well plans have changed." On the pad, he wrote '_plans changed for Dr. Desai. I'm taking your case_.'

Pointing a finger to his own chest, Hathaway smiled happily as he pulled up a chair and began his interrogation of how Danny's injury exactly occurred. The impromptu meeting lasted a startling forty-five minutes and Danny was wrung out between trying to watch what the doctor was saying, read what was written on the pad, and answer the many questions adequately. Danny knew that he was disappointing both of them since he had little of value to share.

"No, sorry." He muttered as his palm found the center of his aching forehead. "I only remember jumping off the boat. Then waking on the beach. And that … only barely."

Blinking against what felt like another migraine rising, Danny grimaced. "Steve. I'd like him here. He can fill in the holes about the blast." Hathaway nodded agreeably as he glanced towards the latest blood pressure reading. The patient's pressure had increased, but not alarmingly so.

"Yes, that would be helpful. We're almost done now." The doctor remarked as he finished a particular note about inviting Steve McGarrett to the follow-up consultation.

Danny's headache had started to pound after fifteen minutes of trying to follow Hathaway's train of thought. At the twenty minute mark, Danny was sweating and his throat had become dry and raspy. Hathaway had kindly poured a cup of water and patiently waited for Danny to gather himself. But the questions had continued. And now Danny was blinking tiredly as the doctor asked - for what seemed like the hundredth time - if Danny could remember how close he had been to the boat when it exploded.

With definite exasperation, Danny tried to glare at the doctor through eyes that were beginning to water as the crazily sparkling migraine dots threatened his vision. One hand tried to wave the doctor off in an attempt to end the meeting.

"McGarrett. We need him here to help .. I really don't know." Looking at the man, Danny pointedly told the doctor with another wave of his hand. He coughed and then rubbed his face with a hand that was slightly shaky. "I'm tired. So, later. Maybe."

But he looked past Hathaway as Chin briskly entered the room. The look of surprise on his face was evident. After calling Kono, he had gone to pick her up at Maggie's house as she had no car. She reminded him that Steve had merely dropped her off with a promise that he'd come back later in the morning. Needing a change of clothes and knowing that both men were comfortablly sleeping, Chin risked the quick hour to do both errands. So now, Kono was right on his heels as they both returned to the hospital.

Chin clearly said "_what's this?"_ with his arms spread wide to take in Hathaway's comfortably seated position next to Danny and the pad of paper; then the iPad and finally Danny's expression. He and Kono were immediately annoyed and confused as they measured Doctor Hathaway. Their anger surfaced when they acknowledged Danny's fatigue and heard the undisguised relief in the quiet words.

"Thank god." Danny whispered directly to Chin as he made his plea very obvious. His pallor was poor and Chin recognized the pain etched across his face. Whoever the doctor was, Danny had more than enough and the man needed to be escorted out immediately. And as Chin was about to question the intruder, Hathaway stood and held out his hand in welcome. Cautiously they introduced themselves as Hathaway explained what he was doing with his new patient.

But both Kono and Chin were shaking their heads decidedly _**no**_, as this was not the plan. His face angry, Chin raised his hand to Danny to indicate that he should rest. He clearly voiced "_I'm sorry, Danny. W__e got this now._"

With a weak grin, Danny gave a thumbs up sign to express his thanks and then closed his eyes in an effort to relax.

"Are you blind?" Chin stated crossly as he confronted Hathaway and pointed to Danny's uncomfortable expression. "Kono if you wouldn't mind?"

Hathaway cocked his head and was confused by the clipped order as he watched Kono quickly leave the room. "We were just wrapping up our initial consult. I was ensuring that Mr. Williams truly couldn't recall if he had been under the water when the blast occurred. That fact will help with our next course of action."

"_**Detective**_ Williams. And I wasn't told of a consult. He's not ready for something like this!" Chin warned with a tone in his voice that Hathaway chose to ignore. Instead, he turned back towards the bed and Hathaway gently laid his hand on Danny's arm. Once again blearily looking up Danny grimaced at the now unwelcome doctor's face.

"Just quickly, before I go … you don't know if you were _under_ the water?"

Chin was growling as Hathaway pressed on. The man jerked his arm out of Chin's grip as he raised a finger and insisted on getting Danny's attention. "Or exactly how close?"

"You need to leave Doctor. Now. He's had enough." Taking a firmer hold of the man's forearm, Chin physically began to back Hathaway out of the room. The warning in Chin's eyes was now very plain and Danny almost smiled. Chin might appear to be quiet and gentle mannered, but he was more than capable when pushed. So instead, of answering the doctor Danny chose to close his eyes again as the migraine lanced through his head. Chin and Kono were both there now, they were soon to have the issue under control, and he saw absolutely no need to do more.

Chin heard the footsteps coming before he saw their owners. One was unmistakably Kono's quick step, and the other was of a heavier, more strident pace. He moved aside and released Hathaway as a large hand came over his shoulder to settle itself furiously on Hathaway's neck.

He didn't try to hide his pleased smile as Ramirez spun the surprised man around who lost his balance to jostle awkwardly against the bed. Chin glanced happily to Kono who had her arms crossed in an equal fury.

"Only the best." She remarked dryly with a sarcastic wink.

"Now what?" Danny muttered in misery as the bed moved and he forced himself to peel his eyes open once more. Hathaway had his back to Danny as he recovered his balance. But Danny hadn't expected to see Ramirez in the room, now flanked by his own team-mates. He also didn't have to hear the words to know that Ramirez was in a rage. The man's face was livid – white with a passion that Danny had never seen before.

He watched as Hathaway stumbled to maintain his feet and then of all things, turned on Ramirez. The two were nose to nose in a furious tirade that made Danny flinch and for that moment, with his head pounding so terribly, he was almost glad that he couldn't hear the deeply bellowing voices. He kept watching in a daze as Kono and Chin were forced to give way. It was obvious that the two doctors were escalating as they traded heated words that were clearly about Danny's condition and ongoing care. When she had space, Kono skirted around the men to stand near the bed and to put a comforting hand on his arm as Chin tried to move them entirely out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Danny." Kono whispered as she squeezed his arm. "I needed Chin to pick me up. We didn't know about this."

But Danny missed it all as Neil Hathaway poked Ramirez angrily in the chest, not once but twice. In astonishment, they all watched and then held their breath as Ramirez hesitated at the sharply bold and brazen act. A darkening cloud settled more firmly over his face as he gave pause to his own next step.

Without a doubt, Danny watched Ramirez's lips and he read words that looked like they were stated in an equally measured tone, "_I wouldn't do that if I were you_.'

But when Hathaway arrogantly took the challenge to once again slam his finger into Ramirez's body, his eyes flashed with his final outrage. Kono's hand tightened involuntarily on Danny's arm and in one swift movement, Ramirez had Hathaway by the collar.

And before Chin could even think about intervening, Doctor Ramirez punched him once .. and then twice … solidly and directly ..squarely in the jaw. Dramatically, Ramirez released Hathaway's collar as the man fell to the floor with a graceless thump.

With a weak smirk, Danny watched Ramirez who was now straightening and smoothing his jacket. One hand then rubbed the bruised knuckles of the other. And when his eyes finally met Danny's own, they both grinned at each other like two delighted co-conspirators.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: time to get the boys together. Safely to TAMC - many many thanks to CinderH! And to everyone's fantastic support and the great reviews! Off to Baltimore on business for the rest of the week. ;-) Next chapter to follow as soon as I can. **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

_**Chapter 9**_

He was on the water again and it was moving in a gentle side to side motion. But the pungent astringent smells were all wrong for the fresh breezes from the ocean, as were the oddly harsher sounds. And when something strong and unyielding grasped his arm and then his leg, followed by a new and deeply unsettling feeling of almost going airborne, Steve woke with a startled gasp. Yanking his arm back, his hand immediately became a white-knuckled fist as he lurched forward in surprise and then nearly fell off the gurney he'd been transferred to.

"Easy, Steve!" Chin shouted as his arm was once again restrained. Covering Steve's fist with a gentle hand, Chin got the man to focus on his face. "It's okay. Calm down. Relax."

It took a moment for him to wake fully, but Steve eventually realized that he was not on a boat, but in a bed. "I thought ... the boat ..the _waves_.." His surprised whisper trailed off as he looked around the room. The movement and restraining hands that he felt were those of Chin, Nurse Ellen Ramirez and two EMT's. He gasped again as he looked around in total confusion. "What's going on?"

Ellen Ramirez also leaned over to soothe him as she stood near his side and flicked blankets over his body and then buckled the necessary straps over his middle as the gurney was raised to its full height. "It's alright, Commander. We only just moved you to a gurney so we can go."

Ellen hadn't expected him to awaken only a few short hours after his exhausted collapse and definitely not after being given such a strong sedative. But even though the dark smudges were still prominently under his eyes, Steve was indeed fully awake. Sighing in exasperation, she placed both hands on her hips. "You're supposed to be sleeping."

"What time is it? Go where?" Steve was disoriented and could only barely remember returning to the hospital in the early morning hours. He remembered seeing a nurse and asking about Danny, but after that everything was a disorganized jumble of sights and sounds.

"And what happened?" Based on the brightness in the room, it was early afternoon and he couldn't remember how he'd wound up in a hospital bed let alone find he was being transferred to a gurney. He felt bone tired and out of sorts as he rubbed a shaky hand over his face.

"Chin." It was then he also realized that he was dressed in a hospital gown. Lifting both arms, he saw one was sporting a spectacular white bandage, while the other was hooked up to an IV line. "This is ridiculous. Where are my clothes?"

Chin slowly released Steve's hand and arm as he seemed to finally relax, though he was no less confused. Kono had already escorted Danny to TAMC personally thirty minutes prior. It was Steve's turn based on Doc Ramirez's orders to evacuate all TAMC patients that afternoon. With the recent and very upsetting happenings, the cousins had vowed to quite literally divide and conquer on their friends' behalf.

"Those are a lot of questions, Steve. Is there anything that you _**do** _remember? It may be easier to start there." Chin was beginning to grin from ear to ear at Steve's bewildered expression. He was also intentionally trying to make light of the conversation, but there was a sadness to his eyes and he seemed worried and preoccupied.

"I hope you at least remember Ellen Ramirez? She's been your personal _keeper_ since you collapsed this morning." He drawled the words slowly, allowing them to sink into Steve's brain.

"Collapsed? I collapsed?" Steve was genuinely confused as he frowned and looked from Chin to Ellen. He frowned when he recognized the nurse. "And of course I know you. Why wouldn't I know you?" And Ellen almost laughed at his obviously insulted tone.

"You certainly didn't know who I was earlier. And yes, you did collapse from exhaustion and dehydration. About four hours ago, you had to be sedated since you tried to leave this lovely establishment on your own."

"No, I don't remember any of that ... at all." Steve furrowed his brow in disbelief as he shook his head. Raising his bandaged arm, he asked Ellen. "So this? What did I do here?"

But Chin interrupted to explain his earlier violent semi-awakening. "_**That**_, is from when you decided you were leaving. You tore the first IV out of your arm and decided that you either were going to fight yourself out of the ward or simply go for a walk. And now there's a perfectly nice technician walking around the hospital with a busted lip compliments of _yours truly._"

Unable to help himself as Steve raised his eyebrows in surprise, Chin crossed his arms as he sarcastically added, "You're an absolute joy to take care of .. do you know that? I thought I liked you better when you were sleeping. But obviously even that can be a trial ..."

Steve narrowed his eyes at the sarcasm and then began to undo the straps across his waist. "Yeah, well. I feel fine. So transport someone else on this thing." Ellen smirked at Chin who again stepped forward and she held a finger up for him to wait. As Steve unbuckled the canvas and leaned forward, he suddenly paled and closed his eyes in alarm as the room swam crazily and his stomach lurched. "Whoa .."

With a disgusted sound, Ellen took the opportunity to push him back down as he rubbed his blurry eyes. "You don't look better and you still need to take it easy. Straps stay on you. And _you_ stay on the gurney. No arguments"

"Yeah, okay." He muttered in defeat as a multitude of dancing spots covered and grayed out his vision. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Steve made a face as he waited for them to clear. "Fine. Okay. Where are we going?"

Ellen smiled as she patted his arm. "Your body is trying to tell you something and I insist that you listen. Plus the sedative is still in your system. And like I said before .. you should be sleeping. I'm not sure how or why you managed to wake up. But to answer your question, all TAMC staff and patients are going to Tripler."

"Now. Immediately." The words were added in a strong, definitive voice but Steve didn't miss the angry edge to her tone or Chin's eye roll and barely concealed wry grin. But looking at Chin's tense posture and tightly stressed features, Steve was worried something else was wrong and it could only be related to one other person.

"Danny?" The name said as a question made Ellen hesitate and Chin briefly looked away as his true unease finally came to the surface.

"What happened?" Steve breathed out carefully. He did remember that Danny had been resting the last time he saw him but for some reason, that seemed like days ago now. He had been resting comfortably; Steve thought he remembered that much. But now it was obvious that something had happened.

Steve struggled to sit up again, but another wave of dizziness washed over him. This time, he wasn't able to clear his vision, so he settled for closing his eyes unhappily as Ellen reset the straps and blankets. In a rough voice, Steve kept his eyes closed as he swallowed hard to push back the nausea and conquer the vertigo. "Danny. He was sleeping …you said he was fine .. what _happened_?"

Since Chin had been there when Hathaway was in the room, he stepped forward to answer Steve's questions. "Danny's been moved already and should be settled in his room at Tripler within the next half hour. Kono is traveling with him. Ellen's coordinating this end and Doc Ramirez is receiving everyone at the other."

Chin looked in askance at Ellen and she nodded that he should continue. "Danny had a bit of setback about two hours ago. One of the audiologists from this hospital … showed up unannounced … pushed a little too hard." Chin rubbed his face from the disturbing experience as Steve squinted up in a newly found anger. After Ramirez had taken care of Hathaway, Danny had closed his eyes as he held his head in pain. Kono had still been standing next to him and she'd tried to calm him. But the nausea had kicked in simultaneously.

"_Kono.. hurts." _They were the only words he had gasped out before the dry heaves had begun. Ramirez had quickly stepped over Hathaway's body to lower the bed and to immediately inject an anti-emetic. That had worked, but the migraine had set in earnest and Danny had complained about badly blurred vision as he started to tremble. Pain medication and oxygen followed as a fight began to control his rising blood pressure. Chin had only helped the audiologist to his feet to get him out of the room. After that, the man was entirely forgotten as Ramirez catered to Danny's very obvious distress and worked to get his blood pressure back near a more normal range. Orders to move him to TAMC came within the hour putting Danny on one of the first transfer units with Kono as official escort.

Chin was angry and worried as he summed up for Steve what had recently happened. "In short, Danny got badly worked up. Migraine. Nausea and gagging all over again until the anti-emetic kicked in. Blood pressure destabilized but this time sky-rocketed. Doc Ramirez moved up his transport. The Tripler audiologist was postponed until at least tomorrow. Doc Ramirez is going to rerun a few tests .. he's now not entirely convinced the MRI and CAT scans done _**here** _were valid."

Closing his eyes and settling his thoughts, Steve worriedly considered the news. "He thinks Danny has what then .. a skull fracture? Are we back to that?"

But Chin could only shrug unhappily. "I don't know .. that's most probable I guess. I'm not sure yet. But that Hathaway ... he just needed to keep pushing."

"Pushed? Sounds more like shoved." Steve's jaw was working angrily. Ellen smacked his hand as he once again tried to undo the straps holding him to the gurney. "Who is this _Hathaway_? I'd like to _speak_ with him .. or her .. for that matter."

With a shake of her head Ellen made three points clear. "For your information, _Hathaway_ is a '_he'_. But you, sir are still a patient under our care and the only way you're going to Tripler is on this gurney _and_ .."

Ellen pointed to the two EMT's patiently waiting in the doorway, "...in _their_ ambulance. Secondly, the sooner you stop this and get on your way, the sooner you'll be able to see Detective Williams for yourself."

With a gleam in her eye and a knowing look thrown Chin's way, Ellen finished her third statement. "And .. you don't have to worry about Doctor Neil Hathaway."

Steve raised an eyebrow quizzically at her much too happy expression. It was almost devilish and he found himself beginning to grin along with her. And Chin had nearly the same smugly satisfied face. Leaning down to fix the blankets one more time, Ellen whispered in Steve's ear.

"It's alright dear. The best man won ... and let's just say, that I'm very glad he's mine."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: time to get the boys together. Officially together - many many thanks to CinderH! And to everyone's fantastic support and the great reviews! The only reason 10 is up - is because 9 originally held much of this content. But the muses HATED the first version. Hence 9 became what it now is and this chapter was rehashed between business travel, dinner and setting up the expo. Phew! I hope you like it. Off to my event!**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 10**

Steve arrived at Tripler over an hour after Danny had been placed safely in his new room. He was pleasantly surprised when his gurney was wheeled directly into the same semi private hospital room as his partner's where a spare bed was already waiting. Kono's things were sitting on a chair to prove she was still there, though she had obviously stepped out of the room for something.

"What's this?" He blurted out to the EMT's who helped him move to the permanent hospital bed. Chin had followed separately in his own car and was currently handling a few calls outside before coming into the building.

"Tripler's over run with storm victims and regular patients. Space is at a premium and you're not a critical care patient so are doubled-up. Doctor Ramirez wanted you settled in here overnight to get you back on track."

The one medic wasn't sure if Steve was complaining about having a semi-private room so he added, "If this isn't going to work, I can ask ...there may be another room?"

But Steve interrupted with a hand quickly held up in the air. "No, no this is fine. That's not exactly what I meant." The medic was confused but didn't push the odd remark. He had more to do and it had already been a long morning for the EMT crews too. With a final look at Steve's IV line and a quick recheck of his vitals, the two medics left and Steve raised the head of his bed in an attempt to get a better look at Danny.

The room was filled with a natural dim light. The blinds were closed from the afternoon sun and the room lights were off. The only artificial light came from the hallway and Steve automatically knew it was because of Danny's migraine. He was obviously light sensitive and not much better. Danny was also farthest from the door and he appeared to be sleeping peacefully. But Steve couldn't see his face for the oxygen mask and equipment that partially hid him from view. He was about to get out of his own bed to see for himself and reeled from the dizzy spell that struck as he inched to the edge. With undisguised relief, Steve stopped when he heard Kono's voice in the hallway as she passed the departing EMT's.

She sounded happy and her voice was louder as she approached the doorway. "He's here then?"

Seconds later she was striding into the room with a very relieved smile. "That didn't take too long. He'll be glad to see you." But she barely looked at Steve as she hurried to Danny's bedside table. She was holding a basin and a washcloth and she put them down while she continued to talk.

"He wanted to know where you were. If Ramirez was having you moved too." With a sad sigh, Kono wrung out the cloth to first wipe Danny's face.

"I told him that you would be here at some point. But he's a bit feverish and his eyes are bothering him from the migraine. He's not following any conversation too well right now."

With another rinse, she folded it carefully and placed it over his forehead. Steve watched as Danny put one hand on the cool rag to press it down harder but over his eyes instead. "I'm glad Tripler is over-booked ... I think Doc would have taken every patient out of that place if he could have."

She was upset and distracted while she talked to Steve and watched Danny as he uncomfortably moved under her hands. By the agitated activity, Steve could now tell that he was most definitely not sleeping and clearly very uncomfortable. "And I'm glad Ramirez got you both in this semi-private room. Though it does seem out of necessity." And she was about to say something else when Steve interrupted her worried tirade.

"Kono help me up." Steve's words were loud, very demanding and he was already stripping off more blankets and lurching forward. He was unsteady and had to sit on the side of his bed for a few seconds taking deep breaths to clear his head. But Kono didn't argue as she helped Steve gain his balance and grabbed up the IV pole.

"I should have been there. He's been through the mill the last few hours .. hospitalized or not."

She made a disagreeable face at the words. "Listen, there was no way you could have been there. Steve, you collapsed from exhaustion. Hathaway just showed up. No one expected it .. not this, not at all … to happen."

Quietly she added, "Chin and I are just as upset about this. One lousy hour .. and look." Her eyes were still sad as she helped Steve over to Danny and he silently lowered the side rail to sit on the bed.

Even with the medication that Ramirez had coursing through Danny's system, the short move to Tripler had almost been unbearable. The only thing under control was the nausea and Danny was very thankful for that enormous blessing. Any type of movement proved to be problematic; causing a sharp pain to stab through his head. The smallest of bumps in the road, a stop sign, traffic light or even the gentle left or right hand turns made him sway involuntarily and he couldn't help the occasional moan that escaped his mouth. Doctor Ramirez had to be cautious with the type and amount of pain medication due to his head injury. His report of a _ten_, had made Nurse Ellen very unhappy ... what the doctor had prescribed had helped, but the stabbing pains were obstinate and the doctor was fearful of over-medicating.

And Danny also knew that there were questions about his blood pressure and he'd begun to tremble again from the painful stress. Kono had ridden with him in the ambulance and had alternated between rubbing his arm and holding his hand. But nothing had helped and now Danny felt miserable as he lay in what he'd been promised would be his final hospital bed until he recovered. He'd also given up trying to watch what the nurses or Doctor Ramirez had been saying to totally rely on Kono's help. Doctor Hathaway's misguided techniques had simply left Danny used up and wrung out.

Unwilling now to open his eyes for the black aura that dimmed his vision, he knew that Kono had returned when he felt his hot face being bathed gently with a cool wet cloth. She was light and careful not to jar his head as she cooled his face. He was both hot and cold but he couldn't help covering his eyes more with it when she re-wet and placed the cloth over his forehead. The cold water gave him an odd chill, but he felt worse without it and it did seem to soothe some of the pain. So now, unable to hear, too tired to speak, and unwilling to open his eyes, he lay in a mute misery.

Ramirez had said to sleep, so he tried to focus only on the soothing feeling from the damp washcloth. But Hathaway had also left him startlingly depressed by presenting him with a pad, pencil and even an iPad. The tools made sense but Danny had been offended and then had become more upset with the writing, tapping motions, circling … if he'd had the energy, Danny would have screamed at the doctor if stick figures might be next. Every part of the interrogation had seemed more like a test than a true consultation. And now he couldn't stop himself from thinking about that experience and it settled in the back of his brain to gnaw at him.

He had groaned when Doc Ramirez said that the other doctor was coming tomorrow. He just couldn't do it again .. he couldn't go through that type of nasty grilling for a second time. But Ramirez had shaken his head and gently placed his hand on Danny's arm when Danny shook his head no.

"_No. Not the same. Not like today. Just rest.. try to sleep._"

As he dwelled, Danny was startled when a larger hand covered the one holding the cloth over his eyes. The hand insisted on moving his own and the cloth disappeared. But before he could complain, it was back again and gently wiping his face around the oxygen mask and then down to his neck. He furrowed his brow in confusion as the bed dipped and he realized that neither the touch nor the presence was Kono's. The hand was heavier, but just as careful as it tried to wipe the warmth off his face and then his neck where Danny hadn't even realized it might also offer some comfort.

Without a word, Steve gently tugged the cloth out from Danny's hand and gave it to Kono to rinse. Eyes tightly closed, Danny was once again pale, tense and clearly distressed. When she handed it back, Steve sat on the edge of the bed and wiped Danny's face and then his neck. With a sigh, he placed his hand on Danny's arm and gave it a squeeze as he studied the drawn, weary expression.

"Hey Danno." Steve scrubbed unhappily at his own face. Danny didn't look any better than he had on the small island; in fact, maybe even worse. But out of habit Steve said his name again as he moved his hand to Danny's chest. "Danno."

The strong settling feeling of Steve's hand on his chest was the trigger that made Danny finally open his eyes. Steve had done the same thing back before they'd been rescued to get his attention. He could almost feel the steady rumble of Steve's voice into his body as he squinted up through the hazy pain.

"Okay." Steve simply said their eyes met. It was neither a question nor a statement. Just one easy word. And Danny didn't know who or what he expected if not Kono. Certainly not Steve even though Kono had said he was being moved. Because Chin had said he'd collapsed earlier that day; he was sick and would be sleeping. Actually, should be sleeping. And because he just didn't expect to see Steve sitting in front of him, Danny didn't know what to say. So he studied the scruffy exhaustion of his partner, the darkly smudged eyes, and he wearily registered the fact that Steve's arm was bandaged as the same hand once again wiped down his face.

Tired, ill and upset, he took a deep breath and insisted on pulling off the oxygen mask despite Steve's silent protest. With a huge effort Danny managed to blurt out the first words that came to mind. And even though they came out on a pained stuttered exhale, they still held an undeniable tone which made Steve grin and then chuckle.

"**_Okay_?** Is that _all_ … you have … to _say_? That's ... it?"

With an exaggerated shrug, Steve couldn't stop grinning at the feeble attempt of a very welcome rant. "Yeah. That's all I've got Danno. Just _okay_."

The disgusted half-glare that measured his own worn face and settled on his bandaged arm was a clear message. Danny would have had much more to say if he had the energy. But Steve didn't give Danny a chance to even try by replacing the oxygen mask on his face and then his hand strayed back to his chest. The touch made Danny's automatically search Steve's face and then fall to his lips to watch what he was saying.

The word was '_look'_ and Danny followed Steve's pointing finger to the neighboring bed. A soft shake had Danny looking back at him and Steve showed him his own IV line, tapped himself and then put his hand back on Danny's chest. "Doctor's orders, Danno. Sleep."

Steve was still smiling as Danny watched the various antics and then merely nodded in understanding. Ramirez was in charge and had ordered both of them to sleep. No one was going anywhere. With a tired sigh, he finally sank back into the pillows and closed his eyes.

"Relax. Get some sleep." Steve said the words quietly as he folded the wash cloth and laid it across Danny's forehead. There was a poke on Steve's arm as Kono took his elbow and lifted upwards. And he didn't resist as he allowed her to lead him back to the second bed.

"You too boss. Enough is enough for one day."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Settled in her office at Tripler, Doctor Tara Desai leafed through Detective Danny Williams' files, status and test results. Doctor Ramirez lounged quietly across her desk as he patiently waited for her to comment. It was good to finally have her back from her latest and hopefully last overseas tour. Tall, slender with long black hair that she kept neatly swept up into a tight bun, Tara was as talented as she was beautiful.

If not for medicine, the rumor around the hospital was that she'd easily have been a model. And she'd heard the rumors and laughed until she had cried. "_That's quite a compliment for a tom-boy." _Her favorite clothes consisted of jeans and t-shirts. Professional events where she had to dress up were the bane of her existence. And for some reason, those events were fast becoming a new norm for her since people liked to hear her speak about her field and her experiences.

But for the naysers that still didn't believe her a doctor or take her seriously, she would roll up her pants leg and show off the scars from a third degree burn she had earned as a result of a horrific car accident when she was twelve years old. Under her blouse, the same scars stretched over her left ribcage. The incident was why she had become a doctor; but an audiologist because her favorite Aunt had been deaf from birth.

"Yes, it's possible." She finally said with a positive nod. After three military tours abroad, she had gain unparalleled blast trauma experience especially from Operation Iraqi Freedom. And blast trauma was now, without a doubt, her specialty.

"I obviously can't say for certain until I see him. But it is possible that his hearing - his auditory system is actually fine - it's very possible that a traumatic brain injury is causing his hearing loss."

Tara once again leafed through the files to pull out the MRI and CAT scan results. While he didn't seem to have a skull fracture, the location of the brain contusion was of interest. There was definitely something about the results that could indicate that Williams could be misdiagnosed as having an auditory injury. And not only from her real life field experience, but from the ongoing collection of military research data, it had been proven time and again.

Doctor Ramirez leaned forward eagerly with his fingers tented in front of him. "And?"

"_And_, he could also have a tympanic rupture from the concussion, or something even worse that would cause permanent damage." The frown escaped Ramirez's attempt at covering it up and she looked at her peer with an amused grin.

"You like him?"

Ramirez huffed and leaned back in his chair and then grimaced. "No, I don't _like_ anyone." The statement was bland but it said enough for Tara Desai and she certainly knew Doctor Ramirez enough to understand the words' true meaning. Closing Danny's file, she continued to grin at Ramirez.

"After he rests today, I'll swing by in the morning. But yes, there are good options to consider as possibilities based upon what I'm seeing here."

**_~ to be continued ~_**


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: much is borrowed and manipulated from various (somewhat confusing) medical things I've been reading and attempting to understand. Hopefully it works for the story .. though it may stray quite a lot from real true fact. I've done my best so remember it's FF and you should never try these things at home! Thank you for the generous reviews - and my trip was fantastic too! And now that I'm home ... we are preparing for the storm ... unfortunately we do flood. :-( **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 11**

Steve was still sleeping soundly after more than twelve hours of solid undisturbed and desperately needed rest. He had finally given in to the battle against the combined effects of true exhaustion and the workings of the sedative. During the night, the IV had been removed and the only instructions Chin had been given related to making sure the man slept as long as possible. But then Maggie had called Kono in tears asking for her company. So Chin had willingly stayed at Tripler while Kono spent the evening and then eventually the entire night with Maggie and her son.

"_Of course it's alright. Just go_." Chin told Kono with a more relaxed wave of his hand. "_I'll call you if anything changes. But we should be fine now."_ He had also managed and multitasked through various phone calls himself in the parking lot and many hours earlier when Steve had been transported. Rachel was up to date on Danny's transfer to TAMC and his condition. And he promised to call her the next day to setup an appropriate time for a visit. That conversation had admittedly been delicate but Chin was sure that Danny's own pain and exhaustion had been talking when he had pleaded with Chin about not being sure he could see Grace. He was fairly confident that once Danny was downgraded from serious and was declared as stable, he would fully expect and want to see his daughter.

The most odd call came to him from the Coast Guard crew Steve had requested be sent to the_ R.A. Titanic's_ accident site. Chin didn't even know the request had been made and he shook his head in astonishment at the never-ending tasks Steve thought to do prior to his collapse. Recovering quickly from his surprise, Chin listened to what they Coasties had found. As anticipated, no human remains had been located due to the explosion and the combined wrath of the unexpected storm. However, a large piece of the engine had been pulled up from the ocean floor and a part of the hull had been located on the beach. The explosion pattern of the splintered wood could prove that a severe mechanical defect with the old diesel engine blew the bulkhead out.

"_I know this is of little consequence now. But the blast pushed the bulkhead out along with some of the heavy mechanical engine components. Water would then have immediately started to rush in, sinking the vessel. The fire was obviously sparked by the fuel itself and it extinguished as the old boat sunk."_

So before she left to see Maggie, Chin had brought Kono up to speed on the findings, but then left it up to her to either share with or withhold from Maggie and Todd. She had made a face about the idea of sharing it with the small family. "_Okay. I probably won't mention this .. I just don't see how it helps them right now_."

And though Steve continued his deep sleep, Danny had awoken earlier with the same strange disconcerting feeling of being greeted by silence and he jolted forward with a soft gasp. At first he was confused as early morning light entered the room through the still drawn blinds. His eyes were wide as they darted around until he recognized Steve in the neighboring bed. And then Chin was at his side instantly with a quiet hand on his arm.

"Tripler." Danny muttered, almost embarrassed by his reaction. And his next almost automatic statement made Chin frown as he added. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Touching his own head, Chin was worried about the migraine and Danny's vision. "Is it gone or do you need something .. _anything_?"

Relaxing back into the pillows, Danny realized that he did feel much better though some pain lingered near the stitches. It was more like the ache from a bad bruise. The terrible migraine was gone and he'd slept through most of the night in the non-threatening environment which had done wonders to settle his nerves. In turn, his blood pressure had finally stabilized and his feverish worry had calmed and eased. Hathaway was a bad memory that he was going to choose to ignore. Chin studied his face closely as he answered to be sure. Danny was definitely less pale and his eyes were more clear. The deeply pained creases were virtually erased from his forehead and he wasn't grinding his palm in an attempt to make a permanent dent between his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm good. Really." His stomach growled on the heel of the words and Chin's face broke into a happy grin. Danny more felt the rumble through his very hollow stomach and nodded with a small smile.

"Hungry maybe."

Chin had left to ask about breakfast and while Steve slept on, Danny had in fact been able to manage a fair attempt at eating. And now true to her word, Doctor Tara Desai came to visit Danny the very first thing that morning. Checking his file at the nurse's station, Doctor Ramirez had not yet arrived to do his rounds. Therefore, Danny was still listed as being in serious condition and Tara knew that she would not move ahead with actual exams or tests until Doctor Ramirez approved his condition to be stable enough for such an important next step. But basic introductions would be appropriate and so Tara walked down the hallway to his room.

Danny was just finishing his breakfast when Doctor Desai poked her head around the corner, saw that he was awake and moved quietly past Steve. Both men looked up and then directly at each other with renewed interest as the stunning woman walked over and introduced herself first to Danny and then to Chin. Her long black hair was swept up again into her typical bun. But she had been late for work so it was held loosely in place by a number two pencil and a neatly tied red ribbon that her niece had recently given to her. A ballpoint pen poked out from behind her ear and she was wearing plain white tennis sneakers. And a pretty yellow blouse peeked out from her doctor's coat to compliment large green eyes in a dark face that proved her partial Indian heritage. Poised and easily confident, she naturally brightened up the room as she smiled warmly to each.

Not that he was handling himself much differently; but Chin snorted at Danny's obvious self-conscious reaction as he hastily straightened himself up in bed and ditched any napkins or cups that might appear to be sloppily strewn about his lap. In fact, the mess wound up smashed into Chin's hand to dispose of along with the tray of leftover food. Doctor Desai couldn't help grinning as Chin quickly excused himself with a stammer to find the garbage pail in the bathroom and then returned quickly just as she pulled the curtain closed around Danny's bed so that Steve wouldn't be disturbed. For her, the reaction was commonplace and she never failed to be either amused or flattered by the unspoken words because she considered herself just a very average person. But when she finally got a good look at Danny Williams she was embarrassed by a spontaneous blush as their eyes met. That rarely happened and she was momentarily rattled by her own natural response as she shook hands with each man.

"Danny. Please." He managed to spit out when Doctor Desai asked if she should call him Detective or Mister Williams. "Definitely Danny."

When Ramirez had said that Doctor Desai's consult would be different, he had neglected to say exactly how very different beginning at the word _go_. Tara Desai would stop traffic anywhere and with the foolish grin that covered his face, Chin had no doubt that Danny might be the next person on the Five-0 team to hug the good doctor in gratitude. And Chin thought he might do the same since all of a sudden with Desai's mere presence, in twenty seconds Danny was acting more like himself since the boating accident.

Similar to Hathaway, she did come armed with paper and writing tools; also an iPad. However, very much unlike his first experience, Danny wasn't forced or wheedled into an unrelenting inquisition. For most of the short visit, she took the lead to slowly and carefully fill him in on the fact that she had reviewed his files and test results. Her visit was truly to introduce herself and to discuss next steps that would support a proper diagnosis. But only after Doctor Ramirez declared his condition as being satisfactorily improved.

Reading his comfort level with a practiced ease, Tara only wrote things down when she perceived he had a problem following. There was zero stress and Chin was welcome to remain or leave .. whatever Danny preferred. There was an equally foolish grin on Chin's own face and he had already snuck in as the curtain was drawn, so he raised his eyebrows at Danny in question. But regardless of their new admiration of Doctor Desai, Danny did want him to stay, so Chin was able to take his own mental notes and ask additional questions.

Doctor Desai was going to wrap up the visit before he tired, but Danny hesitatingly asked about her impressions of his current test results. She had intentionally glossed over much of her initial gut feelings because they were just that - and she wanted proof and more information before providing any probable diagnoses.

"After seeing the results. I mean … do you know anything? Either way .. about …how bad this is?" Danny's voice trailed off as his eyes searched her face for any clue about what she might be thinking. Danny couldn't bring himself to say the actual words about being permanently deaf. But he found himself trusting her based solely upon the way she was already treating him and including Chin.

Tara slightly balked before answering very carefully and tapping her watch. She definitely did have her initial opinion, but didn't want to get his hopes up only to have them dashed if she were wrong. She conversely didn't want him also to latch on to something she said that sounded good without all the facts, so she smiled and answered as truthfully as possible. Much of it had to be written down and then she spoke the words for Chin's benefit once she showed Danny the notepad.

"I have to examine your auditory system – your ear canal and your ear drum - and then put those results together with the MRI and CAT scan reports from the head injury. If you're up to that, we can schedule something later today. But Doctor Ramirez also needs to agree and clear that based on how you feel."

But the answer was still much too vague and Danny looked at Chin more for support than for actual help. Chin was about to rephrase the question on his behalf when there was an interruption. With the lull in the brief meeting, a low voice echoed to them from the other bed. Waking up, Steve's first glance was towards Danny's bed and he was automatically on edge by the sight of the closed curtains.

"What's going on?" Steve was alarmed as he could only see Tara's sensible shoes peeking out from the long hospital drapes. And since Chin was on the other side of the bed entirely, he couldn't see him at all.

Kicking off blankets and rolling awkwardly to his feet, Steve was already standing as his voice became strident. "Chin? Kono? Who's over there .. what's going on? What's wrong?"

Danny could tell by the Tara's almost startled expression and by Chin's change in posture that another person had entered the room or that someone else had at least spoken. It didn't take much to assume who and it was confirmed when Chin raised his hand, pointed to the other side of the curtain, and walked away to intercept Steve.

With a soft sigh, Danny looked up at Tara and made a funny face. "I guess Steve is up?" She smiled as she asked for permission to remove some of their privacy to include him in the last part of their conversation.

"Curtain?" And Danny nodded back that yes, she should open it now that Steve was awake.

Chin had Steve at least sitting on his bed as he tried to calm him from his startled fears. "It's okay. Doctor Desai is here. Nothing's wrong." Steve was tense and had gotten up too fast. The head rush had him swaying against the bed, so he had both hands on Chin's shoulders to steady himself.

Tara waited patiently as the Commander woke fully and was very quickly brought up to speed on her introduction. Based on what Doctor Ramirez had described to her, yesterday's incident was short of terrible and had thrown Danny into a tailspin. His team was on edge and worried about additional setbacks. And the Commander himself had collapsed from his own non-stop stresses. She understood their feelings and respected Doctor Ramirez's opinion of the team as well.

Eventually, Steve relaxed as Chin's words sunk in and then he glanced over to Danny. He was surprised to see him sitting up and looking so much more improved than he had the prior afternoon. It was obvious by his brighter expression that the terrible migraine was gone but Steve didn't understand the goofy grin on either man's face.

"He looks better." Steve said quietly to Chin and with a significant amount of relief in his voice. But then his gaze fell on Tara Desai once. And then he did a double-take with a queerly interested expression. In the background, Danny made a disagreeable noise as Steve stumbled over himself when he was introduced to the doctor; the formal handshake lasting just seconds longer than necessary.

The doctor grinned at both reactions as Danny's hand strayed up to boldly grab her wrist. But it was only because he was anxious and had definitely not forgotten that he wasn't happy with her last fairly brief answer. "So, can you tell me anything yet?"

Tara found herself looking into his face and wanting to share more information than she typically would and she had to strongly press her self-edit button. With an internal stern shake, she stepped aside to stand between both beds in order to include Steve as someone she planned to bring into her assessment. And both Chin and Steve were practically holding their breath as they also waited for her to answer Danny's question.

Out of her periphery, she sensed Steve's approval at her acknowledging words and she had to bite her tongue to stop from sharing too much. "As I said … I'll talk to Doc Ramirez and make sure it's okay for us to begin later today. You can't afford to overdo things with the severity of the concussion .. so one thing at a time. And I also want to speak to the Commander here about what happened to bring in as much detail as possible."

And then before she left, Tara reiterated what she had said before. "I'll see you later. _After_ Doctor Ramirez approves our next steps. He does need to see you first today - we both agree about that."

Danny was almost spell-bound as he watched her leave and he found that he was somewhat relieved by her gentle visit. Until he saw Steve's beaming face which was equally filled with admiration. His lips were very easy to read and Danny didn't need to actually hear the words to know how Steve said them and he scowled at his friend.

"_That_ was Doctor Tara Desai?"

And the next word was unmistakable. "Wow!"

With something that felt like annoyance, Danny realized that Chin was still grinning as well. And with an awed look first to Chin and then back to Danny, Steve was still incredulous as he waggled his finger towards the now empty doorway.

"She's … very … _nice_."

Danny was almost peevish as he very easily followed Steve's facial expressions. Tapping his chest lightly, he looked almost smug. "Hands off Steven. She's mine. Ramirez gave her to me."

**_~ to be continued ~_**


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: HUGE thanks to CinderH for such awesome beta work. I appreciate the advice about our dear Steve. It made this chapter so MUCH better. Again, I have borrowed and manipulated various (confusing) medical things I've been reading and attempting to understand. Hopefully it works for the story .. though it may stray quite a lot from real true fact. I've done my best so remember it's FF and you should never try these things at home! **

**Thank you for the generous reviews - still prepping for the storm and it will be a miracle if we don't flood since we were evacuated during Irene. Thanks too for the many well wishes! Everyone please stay safe wherever you are. ;-)**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 12**

Ramirez arrived mid-morning to evaluate both Steve and Danny and then to discuss Danny's recent introduction to Doctor Desai. Steve was released as predicted. But then the doctor soon had his hands slammed deeply into his pockets as he rocked on his toes; he was very pleased with himself. There was no doubt the meeting with Doctor Desai had gone well and Danny seemed to be similarly happy and looking forward to whatever tests Desai had up her sleeve.

The doctor checked Danny's vitals and questioned him about his headache, migraine and general comfort level. "Your eyes are still sluggish and I don't doubt that you have a headache and are at least a bit sore around the injury and stitches." Danny agreed but the migraine had abated and he'd managed to eat a light breakfast.

"Headache is about a two but I definitely feel better." Danny said as he compared himself to the prior day when he was so miserable, depressed and feeling so ill. "Much better than yesterday."

"But you will get tired very quickly and with too much activity. Hence, risking another migraine." Ramirez knew that Danny well understood his prediction as he tapped his own head in warning. But he of course approved the audiologist's next steps providing that nothing was overdone to risk his patient's general recovery.

After leaving, Ramirez met with Doctor Desai to confirm his approval and was intrigued by her somewhat flustered reaction to his question about the initial meeting and her thoughts. The answer was also not something he had expected.

"It was fine." He narrowed his eyes as some color rose to her cheeks and she was oddly defensive. "I thought he was very nice."

"He's very nice?" Ramirez repeated the words as a question and she made a face as she stared at him.

"I'm not sure I've ever heard you say that after a consult. Usually, the more typical reply has to do with your professional opinion about the medical case or the prognosis." He was amused and based on Danny's equally optimistic response, Ramirez nearly chuckled as Tara became even more defensive.

"Yes, well." And she virtually refused to look at him in the eye as she muttered the words. Taking the time to neaten the small pile of files on her desk, Tara took a deep breath to get herself back on track. But Ramirez was grinning to beat the band and she only wanted to smack him for recognizing her embarrassment. And her glare fell short as she stood up from her own desk in an attempt to escape from her own office.

"Yes. Fine. As long as you feel he's up to a more thorough evaluation I'll schedule that today. Later." But Ramirez was grinning at her as he remained firmly seated in her guest chair. With a final withering look, she quickly gathered up all of Danny's files.

"Maybe now .. actually."

She briskly left her office with Ramirez's loud chuckle following her down the hallway. And then she too was grinning to herself by the time she reached the elevators. As she thumbed the button she caught her blurred reflection in the elevator doors. Her cheeks were still flushed and her number two pencil had failed her bun as silky black hair carelessly tumbled down her neck.

"And he _is_ very nice." Tara said to herself as the doors slid open and then closed behind her. Hurriedly, she pulled the pencil and red bow out of her hair and molded her hair it into a vicious twist. By the time she reached Danny's floor, her hair was neatly bound again with her handy pencil and red bow.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"I want you to tell me if you develop a headache .. even the glimmer of one." Tara warned Danny. He was sitting in a wheelchair in her small exam room on the second floor and she hadn't missed his painful wince as he simply turned his head.

"What I'm going to evaluate isn't necessarily difficult or painful, but it can be tedious and long. And if you aren't feeling well, then that's where we will run into trouble. I'd rather stop and continue later if you get tired."

Steve was also in attendance and lounging in a far corner of the room. He'd been released from the hospital after Ramirez's visit but for obvious reasons would remain. In fact, he'd already met with Doctor Desai as she built her case study and had answered some very interesting questions about the boat explosion. She had made a very strong impression with her thorough nature and strength of expertise. And when she had explained her involvement with blast traumas from her deployments, Steve had been duly impressed by the sheer depth of her experiences.

But now Danny was ignoring him completely for the goofy grin that seemed to be permanently plastered across Steve's own face. And it wasn't for Doctor Desai's benefit, it was aimed at Danny and his obvious self-conscious fidgeting in front of the beautiful doctor. From his vantage point, Steve was as amused as Ramirez had been to also see that Tara might feel the same way about her patient. It wasn't exactly as if sparks were flying, but there was most definitely a mutual feeling of a delightful appreciation between the two people. They simply enjoyed each other's company like two long lost friends and already had a friendly camaraderie.

Tara had begun her evaluation and to avoid feelings of failure or depression, she didn't subject Danny to an actual hearing test .. one where he'd wear headphones and be in a sound-treated booth to test tones and speech. Instead, she jumped to those tests that would focus more on evaluating the condition of the eardrum and middle ear. She was looking specifically for abnormalities such as an eardrum perforation or fluid build-up behind the eardrum; any damage that could be caused by a blast concussion. She also planned to use special diagnostic equipment to analyze the function of the delicate hair cells of the inner ear. If those delicate cells were adversely impacted, it would more indicate that Danny would be permanently deaf.

Her objective was to rule out each and every of these abnormalities and possible injuries in order to put a stronger focus on his head injury. If she could do that, then the head injury could be the culprit for the deafness. And that would indicate a more temporary deafness .. one that would resolve with time versus surgery, or not at all.

Once again she had an arsenal of paper and computers, but Danny seemed immediately loathe to use them; she had picked up very quickly that he disliked the idea of having paper, pens and other similar tools. When he came into her office now, his eyes had settled on them and he had barely managed to hide the unhappy and insulted frown that crossed his face. So now that she was able to begin, and confident about sharing particular information, Tara waved Steve over to sit closer and pushed some of the tools away. In that very instant she decided that they would all work together to methodically explain and get through the appointment. And if she thought that Danny hadn't noticed the kind gesture, than she was definitely wrong.

"Thank you." Danny said quietly and he looked down quickly to study his hands. For no obvious reason, Tara reached over and took both in her own. She couldn't help liking the fact that he was so very _likeable_. No, she sighed in defeat. He was more than that and more than even _nice_. The word _charming_ came to mind and she wanted to help him to the very best of her ability. So now she found herself accidentally holding his hand and unsure of how to let go of it at the same time. With nothing to say and color rising again, Tara only managed to say two simple words when Danny looked up at her.

"You're welcome." And now the two were smiling at each other and for the moment had forgotten the point of their meeting.

Noisily Steve dragged his chair over, studied them both and kept grinning. "Is here alright?"

"What?" Tara blurted out as she dropped Danny's hands to look up at Steve. He was standing behind the chair and motioned to where he'd just placed it near the wheelchair.

"The chair. Is this okay .. here?" Tara looked at him almost blankly before nodding and then busily getting her files together. Danny made a face as he looked at each of them but missed what Tara said since her face was down as she pushed paperwork across her desk.

"Yup. Fine. Perfect."

"What did you do?" Danny whispered harshly as Tara abruptly stood to get something out of her file cabinet. With nothing but pure innocence spread across his face, Steve shrugged as he finally sat down.

"Nothing. Just sitting." But Danny glowered at him while he watched his lips move before Tara returned to the desk. And when she did, Tara was back to all business again as she started at the top to explain her theory and tried to give Steve a telling look that she would need his help as she casually slid the writing pad off to the farthest side of her desk. There was the briefest of nods as he became more serious and then Tara continued.

"I believe you have a mild TBI or traumatic brain injury." She pulled up Danny's MRI results on the computer and then rubbed her own fingers across her temple where his stitches would be on his own head.

"Most mild TBI's are concussions that result from a blow, bump or jolt to the head. And the MRI actually shows two small spots – two small contusions on your brain." She used her fingers to count two and then showed him where each bruise was from the object that had struck him during the explosion.

Danny shrugged and looked at Steve since it sounded the same to him regardless of what it was called. She was using a wide screen laptop and simultaneously speaking and showing both Danny and Steve his test results. So far, he followed what she was saying but wasn't so very impressed. A concussion was a concussion and a bump on the head was after all, a bump on the head. And what did one or two bruises actually matter?

But she briefly took his hand again and asked him to pay attention. "I am being cautious but I would like you to understand what the tests will focus on and why. First, I'm going to examine your ears and their structures for damage. If they aren't damaged – if they are fine – then the TBI could be the reason behind your apparent deafness."

Tara waited for Danny to try and watch what she was saying and then allowed him time to read the text on the computer screen. "Do you know what I mean?"

He frowned as he looked at the computer and then back to Tara's face. He had become a bit frustrated and it was difficult to focus on what she was saying even though she was intentionally taking her time. TBI or brain injury or concussions had nothing to do with deafness and the topic was confusing. Plus the lights in the office were beginning to bother his eyes. Danny rubbed his forehead and then looked to Steve for help as he shook his head.

"No. I'm not sure."

Tara wasn't sure how to better explain her belief that his case history led her to believe that his auditory system would prove to actually be fine. But Steve was listening closely as the she finished her slow recitation. And as her assumptions sunk in, there was a startled sound from his direction and his expression was almost excited.

"I'm missing something." Danny muttered with an annoyed tone. The other two were on the same page and he was mostly definitely '_not'_ as he frowned unhappily. "I don't understand."

Danny found it easier to watch Steve as he tried to explain more simply what Tara was getting at. And she smiled as he summarized it and clearly explained to Danny what she had said.

Grinning with the realization, Steve pointed to Danny's ears. "Your ears _could_ be .. just _could_ be .. totally okay. Perfectly fine."

He was happy and looking from Tara to Danny as he tried to explain her theory in more simplistic terms. Tapping his head and then looking at Danny's bandaged wound he spoke very slowly.

"The concussion is severe enough where it may be causing temporary deafness … Danny, this is good news. Your ears could be okay."

Tara nodded at Steve's explanation and smiled as Danny leaned back in the wheelchair in a stunned surprise. Tapping his arm, she shook her finger at him again in warning and then pointed to herself.

"My theory. I need to do more tests. This is a theory, but a darn good one based on where the two bruises are and what they can be affecting. Such as your hearing."

Pointing then to Steve, she moved back to the computer where she had once again pulled up Danny's recent MRI results to explain more.

"Steve is okay … and you two were very close .. nearly at the same spot in the water when the boat exploded. You have a head injury .. he doesn't. His hearing is okay. Therefore, your ears could be actually fine."

With a determined knowing look, Tara Desai smiled as Danny looked in shock from her and then over to Steve. To get his attention, she snared his fingers once again and his worried eyes fell to her own lips.

"More tests will say for sure. But this is why we are going down this evaluation path. If I'm right .. this could very well resolve with time."

Steve was still smiling and even now more broadly than before as Danny stared at Doctor Desai. But Danny was very serious as he asked softly, "And if you're wrong? Suppose it's not this?"

With an understanding look, she nodded and moved to another screen on the computer. "If I'm not right, we will still have options. Possible surgery if there is a tympanic rupture." That was hard to explain and Danny missed most of it but though he read the word _surgery._

He looked nervously to Steve. "Operation? Surgery?"

And Steve nodded but he put his hand on Danny's shoulder. "_Maybe_. If Doctor Desai finds an injury to your eardrum."

She slowly continued, once that information was digested. "But once again, full recovery is very good depending upon the severity of a tear or perforation."

Steve kept his hand on Danny's shoulder since Doctor Desai was explaining the possible outcome of each potential scenario if she were to find something related to his ears. It was a scary discussion and it showed a progression of severity that was unsettling and could mean permanent hearing loss. And Steve knew that Danny was now following most of it since he felt the slight tremor under his hand.

With a careful expression, Tara ended with the worst possible scenario and did her best to convey the unlikely situation. "Yes, there is a chance for the potential of permanent hearing loss if other more delicate structures prove to be damaged. I do not believe that will be the case."

Danny blanched and became very uncomfortable when she mentioned the potential for greater unseen damages that could truly cause partial or complete deafness and even possibly require surgery. But she was shaking her head dramatically in the negative and showing with her fingers how small of a chance she thought that could be.

"It's okay, Danno." Steve muttered quietly as his eyes flew back to his own face. In an attempt to rationalize the information, Steve kept Danny's eye as he asked Doctor Desai an easier question.

"How strong is your theory about the effects of the concussion? Fifty percent? Sixty percent?"

"Based on the test results, our conversation, and building a complete case history around the scenario of the blast .. I'm seventy-five to eighty percent positive that the brain injury will be the cause of his deafness. As the concussion – the bruise – dissipates and vanishes – hearing will return."

"Did you get that?" Steve asked. He could still feel Danny's stress rising under his hand and he gave the shoulder another squeeze. "It's good .. okay? Seventy-five to eighty percent is excellent."

Even though Danny nodded, he was still very worried and not entirely ready to be as celebratory. But Steve was very pleased about the exciting option; if Danny's ears were actually whole and undamaged, then he would heal with the tincture of time.

With a warm smile, Tara put her hand on Danny's arm and leaned forward to catch his eye. "Let's start with an easy physical exam of your ear canal and eardrum. Let's rule things out one at a time." Using her fingers she opened one hand. "Five minutes and we're done."

The exam would be the only thing Tara did that afternoon and she looked meaningfully at Steve and then spoke behind Danny's back. It was not something she would normally do, but it was obvious Steve was handling Danny's comfort level more easily. And she had seen him wince and begin to grow fatigued.

"He's worried and this was a lot of information to deal with. I'm going to examine him quickly and then that's it. Fast and very painless but it will tell me very important things. After this, then off to bed with him as soon as we're done."

Steve's nod was circumspect as he noticed what Tara had .. Danny was definitely tiring and he also could feel the mild tremble so he caught his eye again. "Trust me. It's going to be okay. We'll do this one quick examination and then that's enough for today."

Worried eyes watched what he was saying and Steve waited until Danny finally nodded and slightly relaxed under his hand.

And then they both looked up as Tara stepped forward to gently examine and rule out her first concerns. She held a pneumatic otoscope in her hand that had a light, a magnifying lens, and a funnel-shaped viewing piece with a narrow, pointed end. It also had a rubber bulb that would give a puff of air into the ear canal so Tara could see if the eardrum was damaged.

The exam took less than five minutes and Danny sat with his eyes closed the entire time. He didn't realize that the exam was done, nor that he'd been holding his breath until Tara rubbed his arm and he cautiously cracked his eyes open. Both Steve and Tara were beaming down at him but he was afraid to speak. He looked at Tara as she slowly said. "They're both normal Danny. I don't see any injuries or damage."

His vision almost grayed and he blinked rapidly as the tremble in his body increased. "What?" He whispered as he looked quickly over to Steve. "What did she say?"

"It's okay .. it's good. Both are _good_." Steve had one hand on Danny's shoulder and his second on his forearm as he tried to stay calm himself. He repeated it again as Danny took in a huge deep breath.

"Step one is okay, Danny. They're normal."

**_~ to be continued ~_**


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: so yeah, I did stuff while the power was out. I ran things until battery went dry and then moved to old fashioned paper. I hope this remains up to par - my mindset was a bit "off" with the storm and my head is admittedly in a different place right now. I worry that it's lost cohesiveness. Continued thanks to my Beta CinderH who graciously reviewed this as quickly as I could get it over to her. Same old stuff about not being a doctor and using Google for research, et al.**

**I am surrounded by wonderful, fantastic, caring people in this FF community - you are ALL wonderful. Thank you again!**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 13**

Danny had his elbow propped on the arm of the wheelchair and his head buried in his hand as Steve took him back to his room. While Tara had been efficient and quick, the information she shared was almost unbelievable and his constantly lingering headache was coming back in earnest. Slightly light sensitive and now dizzy, he kept his eyes closed as Steve wheeled him back down the silent and smoothly tiled hallways.

He was relieved that the first exam proved his ears were fine. Incredibly relieved but simultaneously anxious for the more intensive and final tests. Danny was still having trouble wrapping his head around the possibility that the concussion could also be classified as a traumatic brain injury, which sounded almost terrifying. Adding the word 'mild' in front of it meant almost nothing; referring to its initials of 'TBI" also virtually meant nothing to him. Regardless of what it was termed, two distinct bruises that could possibly be the reason for the deafness was astounding.

And though her first exam yielded excellent results, the emotional adrenalin rush was draining and he felt like he was on a roller coaster; or maybe the brief visit had simply been too much after all. And Ramirez had warned him about taking the short sojourn to Doctor Desai's office.

He felt the wheelchair roll over the tell-tale bumps to the lip of the elevator and then the gentle rise to his floor. Steve carefully turned him to face forward and there was a short pause as the elevator came to a halt. Two more annoying bumps that jarred his head and caused him to wince beneath his hand, a sharp left hand turn, and he was swiftly being rolled down the hard tiled floor. When Steve slowed and made another careful left, he knew that they were back in the room as he felt Steve lock the wheels in place.

Before squinting up, Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. Steve was simultaneously elated by Doctor Desai's news but worried at Danny's obvious distress which he didn't entirely understand.

Leaning down, he patiently waited for Danny. "Do you feel okay? Migraine?"

"Eyes hurt." Danny muttered as he accepted Steve's help into bed and failed at hiding the wince as a sharp pain flitted near the stitches in his temple. "Tired."

And it was a truthful reply since the short doctor's appointment had worn him out more than he had anticipated. Tara would have and was prepared to examine him in his room, but it was his fault as he'd insisted on a change of scenery for the brief trip downstairs to her office.

In reality, he simply didn't want to be examined in a hospital bed by the beautiful doctor. Voluntarily visiting her office made him feel like he was at least doing something constructive and was not so very restricted. Danny felt less 'sick', more in control and more at ease visiting Tara's domain to discuss his hearing loss in a more formal professional environment. But Doctor Ramirez had made a disagreeable face and then had grudgingly approved as long as it was very quick and that he be honest about any aches, pains or dizziness.

"_I'm calling Doctor Desai as well_." Ramirez warned him as a nurse entered the room with a wheelchair. "_This is nothing to fool with. Fifteen minutes_."

Danny had agreed and the doctor's appointment had been relatively fine, but now that he was back in bed, Danny barely opened his eyes as he rested into the pillows and felt Steve bring all the blankets up around his chest. He almost felt the hesitation and then there was a hand on his forehead likely checking for fever.

Through his lashes he watched Steve's serious face as he leaned over and fidgeted with blankets finally leaving his hand to rest on Danny's chest. His eyes were dark and brooding and he seemed unsure if Danny was sleeping, not feeling well, or if he could ask a question. The hand that remained lightly on his blanketed chest was Danny's unspoken hint and he finally saved Steve by acknowledging it.

"Suppose she's wrong?" Danny opened his eyes as he found the remote to raise the head of the bed. And Steve was already adamantly shaking his head no.

"No. Doctor Desai isn't wrong. Danny, do you realize how much experience she has with blast trauma?"

He watched as Steve used his hands wildly to get his point across along with the very firm set to his jaw. He shook his head again as he moved his hand to Danny's shoulder and Danny snorted softly at Steve's refusal to believe anything but the very best outcome.

"But this next round of tests?" Danny stopped and made a questioning circle by his right ear with his fingers as he frowned. He'd missed some of the bigger medical terms; but he clearly understood that Doctor Desai would finalize her theory by examining his middle ear – the three small bones of the middle ear. And then something about his inner ear and tiny, delicate structures which would be devastating if damaged.

He had certainly caught that word - "_devastating_" - which was followed by "_irreversible_". Danny had paled significantly and his breath had caught in his throat. Tara had been adamant again that she believed this final exam to be a matter of course. A formality. That nothing would be found and the TBI would be the reason behind his very temporary hearing loss. She was being thorough and diligent .. and very careful.

"_Danny, I would never discuss this with you if I didn't believe it to be the case._" She had one hand on his knee as she held his gaze.

"_As a detective you know that everything has to be justifiably ruled out to validate the truth._"

Her beautiful eyes had been warm and honest. A small smile seemed constantly curved across her lips as she spoke slowly and tried to convey her very best theoretical beliefs. Of course he understood her process which was so very much like his own. But he couldn't help worrying since it wasn't yet fact.

Steve had been on the edge of his seat and as optimistic as the audiologist. So now, his hands flew and Danny thought about Steve's funny new animated mannerisms that all of a sudden flourished after this last meeting with Doctor Desai.

"Listen to her. She's going to prove this is temporary. But you need to rest right now."

Steve had been opposed to Danny's trip to the doctor's office. But Danny had insisted and both doctors had approved. But he didn't like the slightly pinched expression and fatigue that etched Danny's face. And now, Danny allowed himself a brief grin as Steve pointedly took the remote out of his hand to lower the head of the bed back down as a way of challenge.

"Rest your eyes. This was enough for one day, D."

The room was still illuminated only by natural light but the uncomfortable squint caused Steve to wring out the washcloth and place it soothingly over Danny's eyes. The head injury was even very worrisome now that he had Doctor Desai's informed opinion about it being the source of Danny's deafness. Calling it a mild traumatic brain injury and seeing two individual contusions on the MRI made it so much more than a concussion and it worried Steve too. He understood concussions but feared the words_ brain injury _as much as Danny currently did; on the same worried internal page, believing now that the injury caused something like deafness changed the playing field and was actually shocking.

The doctors were cautious and Ramirez had explained the risks of ongoing migraines and even vertigo. He'd gotten Steve on the side about being out of bed for short periods. "_Of course he can't be fully bedridden. But wheelchair or seated is best for short time periods. Very little walking for the next few days. If he's light sensitive - we will keep the lights dimmed in the room and no TV for a while."_

Steve watched as Danny seemed to settle and eventually relax. After a few minutes, his breathing became steady and rhythmic. For a moment, Steve's mood darkened again when he thought about the doctor he'd never met … _Doctor Neil Hathaway_. Danny was clearly exhausted after a fifteen minute consultation. The almost hour long interrogation with Hathaway was an atrocity.

The man probably wasn't even a bad doctor per se. It was quite obvious that he had no bed side manner. But in comparison, it was blatant that Tara Desai was so much _better_. Tara Desai had volumes of more experience and unrivaled real life training. It was the difference between mis-diagnosis and proper treatment; between creating a medical set-back or providing hope for recovery.

"TBI." Steve mumbled as he rubbed his hand over his eyes and his face. He finally relaxed as he smiled warmly at Danny while he slept.

"Not deaf. Not permanent."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

A few hours later, he woke to a comfortable pressure up against his chest and the scent of strawberries. The pressure was warm and comforting and it shifted as small fingers curled around his own larger hand and Danny jolted more awake in surprise. He opened his eyes to find Rachel seated across from him distractedly turning pages through a tattered magazine. But Grace was nesting up tight against him in the hospital bed and evidently dozing. She was wearing her tennis outfit. And the index finger of her right hand was encased in a metal splint and a purplish bruise ran from under its base into the back of her hand.

Danny carefully shifted onto one elbow and moved her hair aside. Grace was definitely sleepy and he frowned when he saw the remnants of tears on her cheeks. He looked up to see Rachel smiling as she noticed him and then immediately tried to calm his obviously startled expression as their eyes met over the top of the daughter.

"She's okay. She just got a bit scared." Rachel said slowly as she put the magazine aside and stood up.

Chin had kept Rachel up to date on Danny's move to TAMC and his condition. She had heard the hesitation in his voice when she mentioned bringing Grace over that day, but Rachel had insisted it would be fine.

"_I'm not sure it's the right time yet. He's having the first tests done today .._" But Chin had been over-ruled especially after Grace badly sprained her finger at her tennis lesson that afternoon. And after speaking to Steve about the test results, Chin had also agreed the visit with Grace would be uplifting based on the first round of good news.

When they got to the hospital, Grace was a confusing mixture of fearful pain and childish awe over her neatly splinted finger that she wanted to show her father. It was swollen and felt thick and hot while trapped in the splint. And the purplish bruising into the back of her hand also hurt. She dutifully showed it first to Uncle Chin and then to Uncle Steve. Both men had been impressed with the special splint that kept her finger protected. But she was persistently tearful and disappointed that Danno was sleeping.

Steve had picked her up and put her on the bed. "_Just be careful of his head sweetie. He's got a few stitches_." Grace had gotten comfortable while Rachel pulled up a chair. And now Danny had woken to find himself surrounded by two balloons, a get well card and his drowsy daughter.

"Tennis." Rachel said with a bigger smile. "She jammed her finger during today's lesson. Just a nasty sprain."

"My favorite sport." He couldn't hide the sarcasm as he gently traced his finger over the back of the bruised hand.

"Is it bad?" Danny whispered and then looked up quickly to see Rachel shake her head.

"No. But she got scared and needs the splint for a few days. And no tennis until it heals." Danny frowned but bit his tongue about the obligatory tennis lessons and the fancy club.

Steve had told Rachel to speak carefully and slowly. He'd also been happy to explain Doctor Desai's recent findings about his hearing loss. Catching his eye, Rachel gently touched his bandaged head.

"And you're getting better." Rachel stated slowly. "Steve said the doctor is fantastic." The one descriptive word made Danny slightly redden and Rachel raised her eyebrows as she cocked her head curiously. She could tell something was up immediately and then couldn't help the easy teasing. Even Steve had been obviously impressed when describing the doctor and her initial findings. Some things were simply transparent and Rachel smiled knowingly.

"Oh. So she's _not_ fantastic?"

"No, she is .. fantastic ..I mean .. she's very good. But not that way." Danny stammered and changed course as he rolled his eyes. He put a short discussion with Steve on his mental agenda regarding his ex-wife and any flattering comments about Doctor Tara Desai.

"She's a good doctor and she thinks I'll get better. Just a few more tests to be sure."

But he had reddened even more as Rachel smirked, and then was immensely thankful when Grace chose that minute to wake up from her short nap. The first thing she did was hold up her wounded finger.

"Danno! Look what I did at my tennis lesson!" Grace studied his face as she decided between being brave or caving in to tears again. But Danny grinned at her as he kissed the finger and the back of her hand where the bruise peeked out.

"Hey Monkey, I see that! But this is a pretty cool splint don't you think?" Bravery won out with the laughingly made comment and Grace giggled as she hugged him hard around his neck. She knew that he'd hurt his head and was having trouble hearing, so Grace was sweetly careful as she talked about her finger.

She forgot sometimes and talked into her chest, but it didn't matter as Danny watched her face brighten. He did his best to not miss anything as Grace described how the racket slipped and she stumbled. But like he said, she would have something to show off in school for many days to come. It was so much better than a basic, ordinary bandage. And now that fact became equally exciting.

Her finger was held up dramatically in the air again as she pointed to the velcro and metal pieces. It was obvious that she wasn't so upset about missing tennis lessons for a few days and Danny couldn't help grinning up wickedly at Rachel.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Doctor Desai completed her final and more intensive physical exam the next morning. Danny's face was sometimes an open book, and this was one of those instances. Tara could easily see that he was still very worried about her more detailed examination as he fidgeted and looked warily around the room. So once again, she stressed very slowly that hearing problems were quite common after a traumatic brain injury.

"Danny, the inner ear is directly connected to the central nervous system. Ringing in the ear and hearing loss are two of the most widely reported side effects of a traumatic brain injury."

And because he was so very worried, Tara had privately discussed additional possible scenarios with Steve once Danny's hearing returned.

"_I don't want him to obsess any more than he is. And if he starts to imagine things or try too hard, his recovery could be stilted._"

Sighing, Tara had sat down behind her desk as Steve listened closely to possible side effects.

"_His hearing could be quite normal when it returns and that is my current theory based on what I've experienced in the past. But in some cases, problems can occur. For example, hyperacusis .. meaning a normal situation can seem to be very loud. He might have difficulty filtering one set of sounds from background noise. Or, and this could be a worse case scenario, something called auditory agnosia or 'pure word deafness' and he'd be unable to recognize the meanings of certain sounds._"

Steve had pursed his lips and breathed out heavily. "_So, we deal with this as it might happen?_"

Tara smiled as she filed a few papers. "**_If_ **i_t happens. And you can see why I don't want to provide too much particular information. I don't want to accidentally create an invalid psychological scenario. But we need to be aware should something present itself."_

So now, Danny sat in Doctor Desai's examination room as she readied equipment for this most crucial of exams. A technician was assisting her and quietly organizing each medical implement and related paperwork.

Steve wasn't allowed in the room for this very particular examination and Danny felt alone as he watched Tara and her technician so silently get ready. The efficient movements were an eerie dance in the soundless void. And even though Danny trusted the doctor and there was no doubt of a gentle attraction, for whatever reason Danny preferred Steve's translations, calming attitude and transparent antics. His presence lurking in the background bolstered him and now Danny felt completely vulnerable in the bright sterile room.

Due to the complexity of the tests, Doctor Desai took longer and Danny was breathing very shallowly as he clutched the arms of the examination chair he was positioned in. Once again, his eyes were tightly closed and his body was tense and almost vibrating. Tara stifled an understanding small grin and rubbed his arm to get his attention. When he opened his glassy eyes, she spoke carefully.

"It's okay to breathe. Just relax. I'm almost done." The worried nod was endearing and Tara smiled warmly as she got down to completing her assessment. And Tara finished just as Danny started to noticeably tremble and a bead of sweat appeared on his upper lip.

"It's good." Tara said to herself and then to her technician as they studiously put her equipment away. Danny still had his eyes tightly shut and she put a hand on each of his shoulders. Waiting for him to gather himself, she smiled happily when he peered up at her with all his fears and volumes of stress so very apparent.

With a little shake and gentle squeeze to each very tense shoulder, Tara enunciated each word. "You. Are. Good."

Danny paled as he continued to study her face. Tara smiled wider as she tried to make her evaluation clear to him. "It's the head injury Danny. You will get your hearing back just like I thought. Time. Rest. Contusions heal."

Danny's posture remained tense as he finally absorbed her words. He seemed unable to relax. Bending down, Tara pulled him into a hug which he slowly returned. She could feel the tremble through his body but there was a small sense of relief and genuine appreciation. And so, even though he couldn't hear her or see her face, Tara spoke soothingly into his shoulder. Danny could feel the subtle vibration and the warmth of her breath as she rubbed circles on his back and he found himself sinking into a deeper hug.

"I'm so glad. I knew it, too. Now it's just a matter of time."

Releasing him and stepping back, Tara was grinning from ear to ear. She watched as Danny sat almost unmoving with eyes now open wide. He was obviously very overwhelmed by the test results and taking deep breaths to settle his racing heart. His hands were clenching and unclenching spasmodically as he managed a choked. "Okay. Really?"

"Really." Still grinning, she held up one finger as she went to the door.

"I'll get Steve. We can talk fast. And then back to bed before Doc Ramirez has my head!" Danny's head bobbled in agreement as he watched her almost skip out the door.

And then Tara blurted out the good news in the corridor. Steve had been pacing and doing his own version of impatient sighing, uncontrolled breathing and frenetic worry. He bolted forward as soon as he saw her.

"Well? So?" Eyes dark and face deeply lined with stress, Steve barely registered Tara's beaming smile as he focused on her beckoning hand.

"No damage. He's going to be okay. Just like I thought." Steve cleared his throat, coughed nervously, and stutter-stepped as the good news sunk in.

His voice was rough as he repeated her words. "No damage? Nothing?"

Tara laughed as she pointed to the exam room. "Nothing. But I'm not sure he believes me. So get in here and help me out!"

**_~ to be continued ~_**


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: my endless thanks to everyone's continued well wishes. **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 14**

"How's he doing?" The soft questioning voice that snuck up behind him was that of Chin who was just returning to the hospital after handing over a petty shoplifter to HPD. He'd inadvertently stumbled across her at a convenience mart where he'd intended to pick up a case of beer for himself. But the middle-aged woman had seemed suspicious from the start as she weaved oddly up and down the small market's aisles. Her eyes darted from customer to customer as she guiltily shoved two small cans into her overly large and well-worn jacket pocket.

Naturally, Chin had kept an eye on her as he paid at the counter. With a patient sigh, he watched as a small soda bottle soon followed the two cans and he told the cashier to call HPD. Within a few moments, he had apprehended the startled and very resistant woman who denied stealing anything from the shelves.

Of course she had no idea how the two cans or the soda had gotten into her jacket as he plucked them out of her pockets. The cashier had been furious and was planning to press charges, but the incident made Chin later than he wanted to be in returning to the hospital. And he was anxious as he came upon Steve while he stretched weary and tight muscles outside Danny's room.

"What did Doctor Desai find?"

Steve's beaming expression was enough answer for Chin and he found himself returning the genuinely relieved smile before he even had the entire update.

"She finished her evaluation today .. and he's okay .. his ears weren't damaged at all. It's confirmed that the head injury is causing the hearing loss. He'll see a neurologist to follow his recovery, but they aren't anticipating trouble."

At first he didn't say a word because he was simply staring at Steve in a totally relieved state of shock. And then all Chin managed to do was take a shuddering deep breath before he replied in a faint rush of words.

"Then he has a chance – he can recover from this?"

Steve nodded happily. It was late; well after nine o'clock in the evening. Danny was sleeping again which was a new disturbing occurrence. He tired quickly .. so very easily and then the headaches seemed constant with the threat of a migraine just below the surface. Doctor Ramirez said it would all be part of the recovery process and that it too would pass, but it was worrisome. The fatigue made Danny subdued and overly quiet; Steve found it disconcerting to look up from where he was sitting or to walk back into the room to find Danny so motionless and inactive. In fact, that had just happened when Steve left the room for a few minutes to check his voicemail messages. Returning in less than ten minutes, Danny was once again asleep and his passive, lax hands were the first things Steve seemed to notice.

Glancing now towards the sleeping man, Steve clarified his answer for Chin. "He is going to recover .. no doubt."

But he was also troubled by Danny's attitude which fluctuated between lows and highs. After his final evaluation with Doctor Desai, Danny had struggled to control his emotions once she had delivered the good news. He was relieved when Steve entered the room and compounded her findings with his obvious happy enthusiasm. But the inevitable next question was voiced in a harsh whisper and Tara didn't have an immediate answer; only that it _would_ happen.

"_How long will it take? When?" _It was a reasonable question, and Steve also looked over to Tara expectantly. She had anticipated it and continued to support and soothe Danny's ongoing worry. Tara had gently smoothed the bandage over his temple as she answered and then used her fingers to show the number of weeks.

"_Probably one or two weeks. It can happen a little at a time or all at once. It has to do with how quickly you heal. Everyone is a bit different."_

Still on the emotional roller coaster, Danny hadn't been too happy with the proposed timing and he'd fretted miserably after Steve got him settled back in his room.

"_Steve. Two weeks? And it could be more. I have to live like this for two more weeks?_"

And Steve hadn't been able to get his mind off the estimated timeframe so he'd had to page the nurse's station. Ellen Ramirez had come in with a stronger pain medication as a migraine settled between Danny's pinched and furrowed brow. If this happened with the good news of his pending recovery, Steve was relieved that Tara had only confided in him about the tiny possibility of future side-effects.

"_Danno, you have to calm down. Just let it happen. You can't afford to get this worked up."_ Steve had managed to get Danny to read the words of advice just as Ellen Ramirez administered the stronger pain medication. He then had resorted to the wiping Danny's face with the well wrung out washcloth and when he'd calmed, Steve had gently laid it over his eyes. As simple as it was, the cool wet cloth seemed to be the special gift that allowed Danny some rest.

So now, Steve motioned to Chin about going down to the cafeteria for a break. "I'll fill you in on everything else downstairs. But like I said, he has much more than a chance. He'll regain his hearing once the contusions heal. It's going to take time and they're worried about ongoing headaches or migraines as he recuperates. But Chin, yes, he will get better."

And as they spoke in the hospital cafeteria, Steve intentionally didn't mention the potential side effects that Doctor Desai had explained. Without proof and with Tara so resolute about a full recovery, Steve didn't feel it necessary to discuss. Additionally, she had confided in him and he felt obligated to keep this particular part of the conversation about Danny's recovery very confidential. If one of the auditory issues presented itself as Danny recovered, Steve and the team would band together to help him deal with it. But as Tara had said, the possibilities were minimal and very unlikely.

Instead Steve focused on the next steps and Chin smiled over his coffee. "Doctor Desai expects a full recovery but it will take anywhere from one to two weeks depending upon how quickly the bruises resolve and dissipate. He can be released once Ramirez feels he's definitely stable. Maybe in a day or two."

Eventually their conversation included Maggie and Todd. Kono had been spending a great deal of time with Maggie as funeral arrangements were made for Russ.

Chin now sighed unhappily as he drummed his fingers on the small cafeteria table. "They're planning a small ceremony the day after tomorrow. Friends and family. Very private. Maggie would like us to attend."

"We'll all go." Steve said quietly and with a profound sadness. "Maggie will understand that Danny can't make it. But we'll go. Of course."

The cafeteria was brightly lit and it was pitch black outside. Steve blindly stared at his reflection in the cafeteria window; it hadn't even been a week yet and it already felt like a lifetime.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

The effects of the TBI kept Danny in the hospital for three additional days. And it was Chin that gently described the small ceremony held for Russ. Danny was saddened to have missed it and continually asked Chin about Maggie and Todd.

"What are they going to do?" Danny muttered as he distractedly picked at the thin white blanket covering his lap. "Todd's still in high school .. he's graduating this year."

Copying Steve, Chin put his hand on Danny's shoulder and waited for him to look up before speaking. "They're strong .. especially Maggie. She has a great job and Russ made sure of certain things. And they have all of us too."

Quietly allowing the words to sink in, Danny shook his head sadly in agreement. "Yes, they do."

Once he was better, he would definitely want to see them. But now there were bouts of migraines, fatigue and even a panicky double vision event as the next couple of days wore on. Ramirez had been a calming influence for each instance and when he announced that Danny would finally be released the next morning, he'd had to repeat himself twice.

"Yes, tomorrow." Ramirez grinned wryly at Danny's surprised reaction and then waggled his finger sternly in his face. "Absolute rest and no stress of any kind. Follow up weekly with Doctor Desai per her instructions."

So based upon Tara's requirements and consultation with the neurologist, a new baseline MRI was done that very afternoon and before he was released with another scheduled seven days later. He was to rest often and do very little; if there was any change in his hearing or if an adverse reaction occurred such as vertigo or a loss of consciousness, he was to return to the hospital immediately.

On the morning of his discharge, Tara strolled happily into Danny's room as he waited for Steve. Shoulder to shoulder they sat on the bed as Tara handed him her business card. On the back, she had printed her personal cell phone number and home phone number.

"Text my cell if you need anything .. at any time." Tara said with a big smile. "Actually, I expect you to do that .._often_." Danny couldn't help the soft chuckle as he pocketed the card and draped a friendly arm over her shoulder.

"Definitely." He said cheerfully. But before they could continue their conversation, Steve popped his head around the corner with an empty wheelchair in hand and raised his eyebrows gleefully at the two friends. The quick knowing grin that crossed his face had Danny rolling his eyes and Tara just laughed out right.

"Hi Steve." Tara said confidently as she warmly leaned even more into Danny's shoulder and then handed him additional papers regarding his release. "We were just catching up on a few things before Danny goes home. And of course, what I expect him to do to take care of himself."

Steve was still smirking as he snagged the paperwork from Danny's hands and greeted the doctor. "I promise he'll follow each and every order exactly. To the letter."

But Tara became very serious as she poked Danny's arm and then included Steve in her next words. "You have to be careful and call for any reason. Stitches come out soon and then your next MRI is seven days."

Danny nodded as he watched her closely and then grinned as he patted his shirt pocket and gave her a short agreeable wave. Steve narrowed his eyes at the small gestures and then at Tara's softly giggled response.

As she left the room, she aimed her words directly at Danny. "_Call_ me." Steve huffed with an amused grin as she disappeared down the hallway. Danny was already in the wheelchair with a silly smile plastered across his face. And Steve couldn't help asking as he pointed to Danny's pocket and the outline of the small business card.

"What do you have there, Danno?" But Steve didn't get more than an even wider smile and a pleased shrug. The good natured mood lasted just as long as it took for Steve to get Danny out to the parking lot. Once in the car, the argument immediately started as Danny strongly insisted on going to his own apartment.

Steve turned the Camaro's engine off and then angrily pocketed the keys in his shirt pocket as the two began to argue loudly in the parking lot. And then Steve huffed in temper as Danny refused to look at him and crossly folded his arms. A hand flew in his direction as Danny turned part way in the passenger seat to face Steve in order to make his point.

"I can't _hear_ Steven. But I'm not an invalid."

Steve was almost growling as he prepared his retort. "I didn't say that, Danny. You shouldn't be alone ...not yet." But Danny won the briefly intense argument as Steve's cell phone rang and he was forced to answer a call from Sergeant Lukela at HPD. He put one very agitated finger up in the air as he yanked his phone out of his pocket. Danny was tight-lipped as he watched Steve's face change while he listened to the person on the other end. Steve was in a fury as he ended the call and smacked the steering wheel.

"Who was that?" Danny asked as he continued to watch Steve's mood darken. "Was it the Governor?"

Forcing himself to speak slowly, Steve took a deep breath and pushed his own finger into Danny's chest. "No. It was Duke. Homicide down by the docks. Could be Yakuza."

"Danno … I don't like …" Steve sighed nervously as looked away and then rubbed his face in confusion.

But Danny only shrugged again at the news since it settled the argument for them. It was early in the day and Five-0 was obligated to participate with HPD. "My place is closer. Go save Honolulu. I'm not going anywhere. Steve, I'm fine."

Steve stared blankly into space as every option he weighed in his mind fell flat and until Danny finally prompted him again. "Steve, we can't sit here forever. Just drive."

So after dropping Danny off at his apartment, Steve sullenly sat in the Camaro for ten very long minutes before reluctantly driving to the abandoned warehouse down on the docks. He was late and everyone was waiting for him. Duke was pacing the dock along the water's edge, Chin and Kono had shown up and Max had already been called and would arrive shortly.

Steve glared unhappily at the body which was positioned in an unusual manner and he forced himself to focus on the job at hand. Within minutes he had made up his own mind. "Looks like an indigent … drug addict maybe. This doesn't smell like Yakuza."

But Kono nodded towards the bound hands and what looked like a single gunshot wound to the dead man's skull. "No, but that does … Max will help out. And we still need to go through the entire scene." Bending down closer, Steve had to agree that certain signs on and around the murder victim were confusing.

"How's Danny?" She asked innocently and then grimaced when she caught Steve's clearly annoyed expression. It worried her and Kono stopped her assessment of the crime scene immediately to question Steve even more. "Hey. He is okay .. right?"

"Yeah. I dropped him off at the apartment on the way over here. He's fine. Happy to be home." His words were short and clipped and they caused Kono to hide a small frown. She fully understood the hesitancy and the concern. Danny had one way to communicate when he was by himself and that was by text message. And being home alone only within minutes of being released from the hospital just didn't seem right. He hadn't actually been alone all that often while at TAMC and Kono sensed the same uncomfortable feelings.

Hours passed as the team wound up staying at the warehouse much longer than intended. Max insisted on going over and over the crime scene since something just didn't seem to be right. Steve bit back a grumble as he listened to Max describe the odd circumstances of the crime scene. The quirky medical examiner was never at a loss for words and this was proving to be no exception to the rule. Chin located a possible murder weapon under an old wooden pallet and Kono marked a faint blood trail near the outside corner of the building.

But as the day ended and storm clouds gathered in the distance beyond the roof of the warehouse, Steve flinched at the sounds of distant thunder. The air began to smell like rain and the wind picked up as the impending storm grew in intensity. Sharp flashes of lightning illuminated high behind the dark clouds which were increasing in fast and furious black swirls.

"Chin. Do you have this?" Steve was almost on his toes; on edge with a stressful impatience as the sky darkened ominously. He was clearly at the point where he simply couldn't wait any longer. And as soon as Chin glanced up, he was already to the Camaro and sliding behind the wheel.

With an understanding look, Chin studied the foreboding sky and nodded as lightning flashed even closer and a sharp clap of thunder echoed through the empty warehouse.

"Yeah. Go."

**_~ to be continued ~_**


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 15**

Danny watched as Steve very grudgingly left his small apartment. Annoyed dark eyes poked around the corner of the door and met his own lighter blue curious ones as Steve's hand found and then blindly locked the door from the inside before slamming it shut. He said something that Danny completely missed, though he was sure it was a warning about not doing too much.

"Mother hen." Danny snorted softly as he tossed his small bag of pain medication and vitamins to the counter, put a pot of coffee on and gazed longingly at the small bathroom. Within seconds, he had gathered up clean clothes and had turned the water on as hot as he could stand it for a long, comforting shower.

Carefully, he avoided his face and head for the stitches, but regardless of having to do that, he was pleasantly relaxed afterwards. Wrinkled, water-logged fingers snared on the worn sweatshirt he tugged gently over his head. And then he was annoyed as a wave of fatigue swamped his body while he poured himself coffee in the kitchen. A short trip to the bedroom had him struggling back to the sofa with pillows and blankets. Barely managing two sips of the hot coffee and Danny was already dozing under the warm blankets. It was late afternoon by the time he emerged from his long nap and he frowned unhappily about his weakened state.

But another thought crossed his mind and it distracted him as he slowly stood and stretched. With a happy grin, he found his shirt that he'd been wearing earlier and pulled Tara's business card out from the pocket. Danny wasn't the best at texting but he had a reply within a few minutes of sending his short message to the doctor.

Their exchange went back and forth for a good many minutes and Danny smiled happily at her reply to his future lunch or dinner date question.

**"_Would luv 2."_** Tara sent back with a smiley face. And then she had to go for a surgical consult and Danny replied with a short, **"_OK. L8R!_"**

But he received one more message and he chuckled as he read the words from his newly appointed and second resident mother hen.** "_Rmbr 2 Eat. Rest! Sleep. B Merry!_"**

Her last message made him laugh out loud and then the smile never left his face as he pulled out a canned soup and fixed himself the light snack. Danny tiredly closed his eyes at the kitchen table as he finished the last of the broth. It was nearing the end of the day and he couldn't believe that he'd slept for the entire afternoon and yet, his healing body was evidently ready for another nap.

The only highlight had been the shared messages with Tara. Checking the cell phone again, he saw that no new text messages had come in and that could only mean that his team was still investigating whatever had happened down at the docks. He decided to leave them alone. Checking the time, he realized that Tara would undoubtedly still be at her surgical consultation. So now after only a few hours of being home, he was officially bored. With an aggravated sigh that many more days of forced rest were to come, Danny grabbed his house keys and made the trip down to his mailbox. He could at least retrieve whatever had piled up over the last few days which wound up amounting to two bills and reams of junk mail.

"Figures." He remarked sarcastically at the ridiculous amount of useless magazines and flyers. And then he felt the change in the air and he paused mid-toss to the recycle bin as his eyes were drawn to the distant horizon. Where he was standing, the sky was a gorgeous robin's egg blue with a smattering of white clouds. But a breeze was beginning to stir and grayish black clouds were approaching to smother the blueness as they gathered over the distant volcanic mountain.

Danny's breath unexpectedly caught in his throat as the far away scent of the stormy rain reached him on the thickening air and a bright flash backlit the eerie grayness high up in the sky. He managed to finish a now sloppy toss of all his mail into the recycling bin but was out of breath by the time he hauled himself up the two short flights back to his apartment. Dismally, he rubbed the ache that had started in his temple as he tried to control his breathing and ignore the change in pressure as the storm approached.

"It's not a big deal." Danny chanted to himself as he tried to avoid looking out the small kitchen window. "It's fine. Not a big deal."

But drawn to the skies, he eventually got up to stare out the window as the wind picked up outside and the lightning increased its activity. On the inside watching out, Danny couldn't take the silent void anymore as trees began to sway and the first rain drops splattered against the glass window. He felt like he was standing in a sterile and soundless bubble without any feeling whatsoever.

Spontaneously, he flung the window fully open and gasped at the immediate sharp sensation of the cool wind hitting him directly across the face. He had to close his eyes as the light rain began to pelt his hot cheeks, bare neck and the backs of his hands as he clenched the counter top.

Breathing in deeply, he tried to settle his pounding heart as the wind blew his hair. But it was hopeless as the pungent smells of the storm, which now included the salty ocean, swirled around him. And then he was unable to keep his eyes closed as the flashes of lightning illuminated the skies right above him. Spellbound, he stood entranced by the overwhelming sights and feelings of the storm. And he forgot his chant because it had all come full circle to become a very big deal and he didn't know what to do.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

No other words had to be spoken to Chin as Steve drove off rapidly to the apartment complex. It was rush hour and traffic was heavy on the main roads and though he wasn't supposed to since it wasn't official business, Steve used the lights on the Camaro to weave more effectively through the crowded streets. He knew Danny would strongly disagree for the illicit use of police equipment and especially as it related to himself, but Steve was also internalizing a deep stress as the first drops of rain began to hit the windshield.

"_There are __regulations__, Steven. Arbitrary use of police gear for your own __very personal use …"_ Danny's typical disapproving rant rang through his head but Steve blatantly ignored it as he closed in on his destination.

Calling was impossible and Steve had already sent a quick text message while at an intersection and before resorting to using the lights on the Camaro. His concern only grew since he still hadn't received a reply to his abbreviated question, **"_R U OK_?"**

Steve was out of the car just as it lurched to a stop outside the apartment complex. The sky had now fully darkened and the rain was coming down in sheets to soak him to the skin by the time he'd made it to the front door. Calling out or knocking was senseless, and his wet fingers slipped twice as Steve hurriedly used his key to let himself into the apartment.

The lights were off and Danny was standing in the kitchen while he stared out the small window. Steve could see his silhouette outlined by the fading light as he stood motionless and seemed to tremble as the silent thunder and bright streaks of lightning broke jaggedly across the sky. And for some reason, the window was completely open allowing both wind and the cold rains in. The shabby yellow curtains swung wildly into the room and Danny's face and hands were sparkling with rainwater. And the sweatshirt was growing darker by the second as it absorbed abstract patches of wetness.

"Danno." Steve tried not to scare Danny as he approached widely from the side. But Danny was enthralled with the scene outside and Steve was forced to try and place what he hoped was a soothing hand on his friend's hot and sweaty neck. The gentle touch jolted him, but Danny only clenched his hands tighter on the counter top as his breathing sounded harshly in the room.

"Close this. Why is it even open?" There was no response as Steve quickly leaned over the sink and firmly closed the window. The sudden cessation of feeling made Danny finally blink and he drew in a shuddering breath as the curtains stopped their crazed fluttering and the stinging wind and rain were effectively blocked from his skin. Steve placed another hand over Danny's right one and was dismayed to feel its coldness.

"Danny. Come on." The distant eyes finally left the window and moved down to the warm hand that covered his own white knuckled one. He studied it briefly and then frowned in a slow realization.

"Steve?" Danny mumbled as he swayed but then once again was drawn into the lightning and could see the trees outside the window that were whipping back and forth in time to the rising wind. The silent shadows they cast jumped eerily in the half light of the evening sky.

"How'd you know?" Danny whispered as lightning lit the black sky and he jerked at the surprise of it. He unconsciously resisted as Steve gently tried to pull him away from the window and back over to the sofa. He was still swaying on his feet but rigidly unmoving when he spoke the few words and he still hadn't looked directly at Steve. His own face was pinched and bordered on an anxious, confused panic.

"Can't hear. But I can feel it." Danny's eyes skittered across the sky and then to the closest trees as lightning flashed and the limbs bent from the wind. The storm was directly overhead as a series of bright flashes lit the sky causing Danny to slightly draw back from the sight. "I should hear it. But I still can't. Why can't I hear it?"

At a loss as Danny rambled, Steve put his arm completely around his shoulders and cupped his elbow to physically guide Danny out of the small kitchen. The shared closeness allowed the soothing timbre of his voice to vibrate into Danny's shoulder.

"Come on. You need to sit down." Moving pillows and grabbing up a carelessly tossed blanket, Steve draped it over Danny's back and pulled it tight. He was trembling and still barely looking at Steve as he was pushed back into the deep cushions.

"It's okay. Where's your medication?" Concerned about the now very strong possibility of a migraine, Steve left him for the small bag that he spied on the counter. He frowned when he saw the white paper bag was still stapled shut and the pill jars unopened.

"Here." Steve coaxed as he practically knelt in front of Danny with a glass of water and forced two pills into his hand. Danny took them but then simply sat there staring at the ground in what reminded Steve of a shell-shocked state. One hand covered both of Danny's cold ones as they clutched the blanket closed across his chest and Steve gave him a strong, warm nudge to get his attention. He then pried Danny's hands off the blanket and opened the fist with the pills.

"Danny. Take them. Pain meds."

It took a few minutes, but Danny finally looked up to settle on Steve's face and then slowly looked down to find the pills that had miraculously found their way into his hand and then took the offered water.

"How did you know?" He muttered again as he slowly swallowed the medication.

Scrubbing his rain-soaked hair in concern, Steve carefully watched Danny's face as he finally seemed to force himself to refocus away from what was happening outside. But he was pale and the familiar painful wince was creasing his forehead.

Steve's answer was achingly simple and were the only obvious words that came to mind. "Just did, Danny."

Steve knew that the storm would be unsettling; it unsettled him frankly. But _unsettling_ was a kind word … Danny had gone back to the small island and his fear of a complete hearing loss was very much on the surface. It had taken over and what was happening now threatened a severe setback and Steve needed to get him calm.

"How's your head? Any pain? You're cold." Danny watched him and slowly nodded on all counts. Steve scowled and held up a warning finger as he left the room to get two clean and dry shirts. "Stay."

He stripped both his own very wet shirt and then pulled off Danny's damp sweatshirt in exchange for the warmer dry ones. He then leveraged Danny onto his back on the sofa and gathered up the blankets. But now propped on pillows and snugged with blankets, Danny still couldn't hide the occasional flinch from a flash of lightning. His eyes were flying between Steve's face and the window each time a flash illuminated the small kitchen.

"Not the storm." Danny unexpectedly blurted and Steve nodded as he fixed the blankets.

"I know." The sad thing was both men knew it wasn't the storm at all; that was just the catalyst that was sparking the overwhelming feelings. What Danny was more upset about was the vague memory of the blast, what had happened to Russ and Maggie, and of course his hearing loss.

Steve put his hand on the quietly quaking shoulder and made Danny watch him. "Soon. It's only been a few days. Don't try so hard. You _know_ it's going to be okay."

"I know." He mumbled as he watched Steve's lips and recognized the determined expression. And then Danny grimaced and closed his eyes as the tight band of pain circled his head. His hand strayed up to his forehead as he tried to thumb the sharp migraine-like aches away. A few minutes later, he felt the familiar wet cloth wipe his face and neck. And he forced his eyes open to watch Steve.

"I'm staying. Get some sleep." Steve's hands were animated and waving above Danny as he lay on the sofa. Pulling out his cell phone, Steve slowly pointed to it and made it clear that he was going to call Chin and Kono. "Everyone's fine."

And then before rinsing the cloth again and laying it over Danny's eyes, Steve repeated himself and opened his arms wide to again indicate that he was definitely staying. "Give it time. Don't try so very hard, Danno."

He was slightly relieved as Danny breathed out an affirmative sound and his eyes slowly began to close as he relaxed and the pain medication entered his system. Heaving a sigh, Steve wandered over to what remained in the small pot and poured himself the last dregs of coffee. Turning his back on the kitchen window as it was illuminated by the occasional flash of lightning, Steve settled himself in a neighboring chair to make his calls.

_**~ to be continued ~ **_


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 16**

After two weeks, Danny was at a tension filled breaking point as he checked off each day he remained deaf on a mental calendar. In a growing depression, he found himself trying and forcing himself to hear the most obscure of sounds; the rumble of his squeaky refrigerator in his apartment, water running in his sink, even the bathroom flushing. If he saw a bird, motorcycle or even a dog barking on the street, he'd stop and strain to hear any faint glimmer of their individual noises. Steve had noticed multiple times and would grab his arm to voice the same advice as he fretted about headaches, migraines and set-backs. "_Don't try so hard. It will happen_." But Danny was at a point where he would now shake the hand off his arm and walk away or turn his head. And at least once a day, he would stand alone in his apartment and crank up the television watching the small audio lines increase to their highest volume and until the small framed picture vibrated on top. The depression that Danny began to feel about the never-ending silence was overwhelming. The stitches had been removed and he'd had the second MRI and was scheduled for a third follow-up in just a few more days. The second MRI showed a healthy improvement in that one contusion was nearly dissipated and smaller than the tip of a pin. The other contusion was indeed smaller in size but not yet absorbed or healed and its blackish irregular image showed clearly on the test results. And so Danny was still stone-cold deaf and becoming more stressed than anyone believed possible as he skipped meals, rarely slept, and lost his temper more easily.

Tara's well-versed experience quickly identified his change in mannerisms, mood and poor eating habits. She made him weigh in and was upset to report an eight pound weight loss. With a knowing look, she cautioned Danny strongly and then advised Steve privately.

"_No one can be with him at all times, but he's lost weight and creating unnecessary pressures for himself. It's common, but certainly not what we want to have happen."_

But Steve was also feeling the same levels of jittery stress and he couldn't help questioning her after the second MRI results were received. _"You are still sure, right? I mean, the two weeks are up and there's been no real change .. Tara, could you be wrong?"_

It was the first time he'd seen the beautiful doctor actually lose her temper. His question sparked an anger and defiance that Steve hadn't anticipated and he found himself stumbling over an apology in her office.

"_Sorry_." Steve muttered with his hands held up in meek surrender. "_None of us are very good at waiting_."

And of course Tara understood and empathized as she thumped down into her chair and held her head in both hands. Having genuinely become her patient's friend, she also was emotionally strained by the waiting game. Privately, she anxiously waited for the phone call or the next test that would prove Danny had regained his hearing. Tara had a vested interest in his full and complete recovery; professionally and as his friend, she wouldn't settle for anything less.

Instead she had then looked up at Steve with a sincere appeal._ "Trust me. Please. It's going to happen and he needs our support and friendship right now._"

The evening of that first storm had unnerved Steve and Doctor Desai's latest advice had escalated his concerns. In fact, Steve hadn't noticed the subtle loss in weight though the moodiness was obvious enough. The revelation made him finally see the much too baggy t-shirt and slightly thinner face. Instead of shuttling Danny home after the MRI, Steve took the grumbling man to Kamekona's and practically force fed him a larger than normal plate of garlic shrimp. And while he'd respected Danny's own stipulations to remain at his apartment, he and the rest of the team organized a tag team of sorts to keep in touch more diligently.

Someone was now always texting Danny sporadically throughout the day. He had forgotten to keep the phone near him a few times and Steve had slammed the device into his hand with a strident demand. "_Humor me_. _It's already on vibrate. Keep it charged._"

The small but very important request was easy enough to follow especially with both Grace and Tara Desai eventual participants. It soothed ruffled feathers and calmed worried minds as days ticked by and anticipation of something happening rose and then fell exponentially. But as the recipient of multiple messages which boiled down to saying or reading the same repetitive questions, Danny wound up abbreviating his own replies. He was annoyed as Kono texted him multiple times one morning and he finally texted back in a temper, _**"How often can I say that I'm fine, Kono?" **_And then as soon as he'd hit 'send' he was sorry and his apology was on the heels of the unexpected outburst. It upset Kono, but she brushed the whole thing off as she replied with her typical "_**no worries**_" and let it go. Even texting with Tara had begun to pale with the limited topics of conversation. Their daily messages were very basic or Tara would let him know snippets about her day. She herself intentionally steered away from the doctor-like "_how are you feeling_" questions for the most part. She knew that he'd bring it up if he felt like it .. so instead, she tried to distract his poor mood with mild comments about an anonymous patient or an upcoming talk she was scheduled to give.

However, Danny was now in the process of flinging the television remote to the floor as that day's experiment yielded more failure. In disgust, he watched the obscenely excited woman scream while she jumped up and down in a crazed frenzy on the game show. All the bars on the audio were displayed on the screen and Danny could never describe the utter silence. His phone vibrated in his back pocket just as he angrily thumbed off the television using the remote control and cocked his arm. Instead, he tossed it to the coffee table and yanked the cell phone out of his pocket.

With a surprised huff, he read Rachel's short message.** "_Can u mind G 2morrow?_"** It wasn't his weekend and in fact, he'd lost significant personal time with Grace since the accident, so Danny accepted the opportunity as he quickly messaged back.

**"_Of course. Drop her here_?"**

He sighed happily at Rachel's final reply of **_"9 A.M. TY! She's excited. Will explain more when I see u."_**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Rachel dropped Grace off exactly at nine o'clock that Saturday morning. She and Stan had been invited at the last minute to a private affair critical to him closing a real estate deal. It was an all day event that began with a golf outing and ended with a black-tie dinner at a local country club.

Danny was waiting in his open doorway as Rachel and Grace came up the stairs to his apartment. Rachel greeted him warmly as Grace dove into his arms.

"I'm glad you're feeling better. Is it okay if Grace also stays the night - and even the next? I'm not sure what to expect from Stan or this dinner party." Grace was listening to her mother and she was grinning excitedly as she pointed to her small overnight bag. Danny followed the pointing finger as he tried to keep up with what Rachel had just said about the day's plans.

"I have all my things Danno!" In what seemed like a very long time, a huge smile finally crossed Danny's face at the change. A few hours had just become the entire weekend and he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

"I can't think of anything better." He replied happily as he picked Grace up for a back-breaking hug. Rachel grinned and she warmly rubbed his arm as she left the building. "I hope you have your bathing suit too. We're going to spend part of the day at Uncle Steve's on his beach."

Danny was relieved that he'd texted Steve about Grace's impromptu visit. Unable to drive yet, he was concerned about being house-bound with his active daughter and trying to watch television or movies. And even board games would become dull after a time. He was unable to drive and there were just so many other things that could be done within walking distance of the apartment. Steve had graciously solved the problem by offering to pick them up later in the morning in order to spend the majority of the day on his private beach. And as promised, Steve showed up around eleven o'clock and brought them back to his house. But almost as soon as they'd settled together on the lanai, Steve received a call from Chin related to the now weeks-old homicide case.

"_Sorry Steve, I know it's Saturday morning but HPD just brought in what looks like our murderer.__ Kono's on her way over too."_

With his own apologies, Steve threw his hands up in the air at the futility of having a real day off. "Have fun. I'll see you both later."

But eyes narrowed in a good-natured warning as he practically glared down at Danny while he gathered his gear. He stopped what he was doing to use two fingers to pick at the much too loose shirt and Danny smacked his hand away in annoyance. "Food. Refrigerator. I expect to see it _gone_ when I get back, Danny."

Turning to Grace, Steve gave the little girl his own version of the same orders which she accepted very seriously. "Make sure your father eats something today Grace. Doctor's orders!"

Danny snorted and shook his head as he waved Steve off and followed Grace down to the beach. But it didn't take long for his mood to sour again while Grace played in the shallows. Further down the beach, he watched a group of children as they bounded into the deeper surf. He could tell by their actions that they were calling loudly back and forth; even screaming as they teasingly rough-housed with each other. And he slowly felt a fury rise at the sad fact that he couldn't even hear the waves hitting the shore or the annoying squawking gulls that swooped over his head. He scowled as three jet skis shot past him just a few feet off the shore line in a desperate race across the water.

But he forced a smile as Grace raced towards him and then up to the lanai. Out of everyone, she had adapted seamlessly to Danny's situation and readily accepted what was happening without complaint. Her finger had also healed and she was back to her tennis lessons. But this was now going to be his weekend with her, and there wasn't a racket to be found. Smothering his bad mood, Danny picked up his pace as he followed Grace back to the house. Right now he made a solemn vow to enjoy himself during his unexpected gift of a weekend as father and daughter on a gloriously sunny day. But he pinched his nose as the bright sun plagued him even through the dark sunglasses.

"Great." He muttered as he felt the stirrings of a headache. "Now is definitely not the time for this."

"Lunch Grace." Danny called after her as he trudged carefully back through the deep sands and each step jarred his temple. Before fixing their lunch, Danny made sure to take two of his pain pills but as usual only had the appetite for a few bites. He was bound and determined to rid himself of the annoying ache and not lose the precious time. However, Grace made an unhappy face as he pushed more than half his sandwich away and announced that he'd be taking a short nap.

"Uncle Steve is going to be mad, Danno. You're supposed to eat all of your lunch .. or else."

With a hand dramatically draped over his heart, Danny smiled at her very serious expression. "I promise to finish the whole thing after my nap. I just need an hour. Is that okay with you Monkey? Then we can go out on the beach again. I'd love to go for a walk and look for some shells."

She was still making faces about the deal over the food, but she nodded slowly. "Okay. I guess."

He then couldn't help smiling at her easy nature as she collapsed to her knees in front of the DVD player and pulled a few videos from her bag. With a sigh, he took over the couch and covered his head with a blanket; within minutes, he was sleeping soundly.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

"Danno?" The little voice was urgent and two small hands were rocking his shoulder. "Danno! Wake up!"

Danny was on his left side and buried under a heavy blanket. Grace had watched almost two complete movies peacefully; or at least as patiently as possible until now. Furtive glances at the snoring shape of her father were cute until she became bored halfway through the second movie. And now she sighed dramatically as she tried to rock him awake.

"Daddy!" Grace leaned into his upper body and peered under the blankets in an attempt to glimpse his face. "Let's do something."

Even though the sound was tinny and far away, it coursed through Danny's body all the way down to his toes. He found himself automatically answering in a drowsy voice.

"Just five more minutes Monkey." Startled, he almost stopped breathing. Had he really said that to what he actually heard? Danny froze as he came more awake and tiny, minute sounds began to trickle in faintly to his ears but the loudest was his daughters own voice as she leaned over his shoulder.

"Danno. You said that ten minutes ago." Grace complained again and then she made a disgusted face at the pile of blankets that hid him completely from her view. He had moved and he'd actually answered her, but he was still sort of sleeping.

"Danno?" Once again, she used both her hands to shake him even a little harder. "Wake up!"

But Danny stayed hidden under the blankets. Afraid to move. Afraid something would change and that the spell would be broken. His lips whispered into the blankets. "I did say that ten minutes ago. Because Gracie, I _heard_ you."

The small hands left his shoulder and then he heard the soft giggle. It was still in a tunnel and sounded somewhat far away. But she giggled and he definitely heard it. "Danno! Wake up already!"

"Grace. Monkey. I'm up!" Again his words were spoken from under the covers and now he nearly choked at the echo of his own voice as it sounded in his ears. And then he could hear faint music in the background and it made that stupid SpongeBob video come to mind.

"Oh god." Danny said softly to himself as Grace also realized what was happening and she gasped. "Daddy. You can hear me!"

He stuttered as he finally rolled over and pulled the blankets off his body to come face to face with her shining eyes. "Grace, find the cell phone and call Uncle Steve."

Bolting from his side, she found the phone nearby on the kitchen table and made the call to Steve using his speed dial. When he glanced down at the caller ID as the phone chimed, Steve paled and then nearly panicked when he saw the number.

"Grace? What's wrong sweetie?" He had just finished interrogating the suspect with Kono and an HPD officer. Chin was with Duke reviewing past records as they corroborated the suspect's story. And it wasn't much of anything since the man confessed almost immediately to a simple drug deal gone wrong between two abysmal low-class associates. There was no tie to Yakuza, it was only an odd attempt at a copy cat style to throw off the police. The man in custody admitted to not originally intending to kill his so-called _friend_ but he had, and his caustic statement ended with a shrug and a callous "_so what_".

"So what?" Kono said in disgust as she closed the book on the scruffy, glassy-eyed dealer. "So what?"

But their suspect merely smirked as he gazed off blankly into space before Kono marched him back into HPD custody. And that was when Steve's cell phone buzzed with Danny's number on the display. Steve was immediately worried when no one answered him, and he was walking rapidly out the door as he kept the connection open.

"Gracie? Are you there? Did something happen?"

Then there was an intake of breath as Steve listened closely to the sounds on the other end. He thought he could also hear the television in the background and maybe Grace laughing, but Steve wasn't sure. It was even possible the phone had been dialed accidentally. But then there was a second and deeper intake of breath and Steve paused mid-stride. "Danny? Is that you?"

"Steve." It was Danny and he was breathless and choked with a combination of fear, relief and happiness. He could definitely hear Grace giggling in the background and Steve held his breath as he waited.

Danny had the cell phone jammed into his ear and his eyes were tightly closed as he heard Steve's distant voice. He had heard the first alarmed questions, far away and faint but there. And then he'd been unable to make his dry mouth work. Heaving in a shuddering breath, Danny finally managed to croak out Steve's name. In the brief silence, he gathered himself again as his hands began to shake, but Grace was almost dancing in the room.

"Steve. It's happened." There was a stammer as Danny tried to stay composed and he repeated himself. "It's happened. I need to see Tara."

And Steve's hearty laugh was unstoppable as he ran from the building. "On my way Danno."

**_~ to be continued ~ _**


	17. Chapter 17

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: chapters will come a bit slower now ... the muses ran with the first longer portion of this story and they are finding it difficult making this as right as possible. So please bear with "us" .. we agree on where it's going, it's just getting there the right way! Also, marrying the research to the plot is a bit of chore based on what I've accumulated for medical cases like this. I have an annoying tendency to try and make things 'perfect'. And my poor Beta has experienced that truth. thank you for the gracious continued praises and support. It is very very much appreciated! **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 17**

"Uncle Steve is on his way." Danny told his delighted daughter as he tossed the cell phone down and captured her in his arms. Over Grace's head, he watched the SpongeBob DVD and grinned at the ridiculous cartoon. He could hear the music but any actual words were a muffled ball of sound. And Danny's hands were still shaking as he released Grace who was now chattering a mile a minute about how his long nap must have fixed his hearing.

He smiled warmly as he listened to Grace's explanation. He caught every word and stored it away in a starved, hungered way as he relished the giggles and breathy excited young voice. But bending down, he retrieved the phone from where it had fallen and tried to send a text message to Tara Desai only to find that his hands were shaking too badly and he was all thumbs. By the third attempt, he gave up and inhaled deeply as he gathered the courage to call her directly. With baited breath, he had the phone tightly smashed up against his ear as the call went to voicemail and he listened to a voice he had never actually heard before.

The deeper intonation was pleasant and unexpected, and the cheery message left him wholly unable to speak as he hit the end button only to let the phone slip from sweaty fingers. He looked up when Grace began to scold him as she heard a car door slam and pointed to his left-over lunch on the kitchen table.

"Uncle Steve is home. He's gonna be so mad about your lunch!"

Danny couldn't stop from chuckling at the stern little voice and shook his head as her grabbed her back up happily. "No, not this time. He's definitely not going to be mad this time."

He then was unsuccessful at hiding the strong tremble as he tried to still his hands by rubbing Grace's back in small circles. In fact, he had to close his eyes against the disembodied feeling where he now almost felt like he was floating. He had been waiting for this moment for weeks now. But everything had become surreal and slowed to a snail's pace. They both looked up as the door flew open and Steve hurried over to where Danny was still sitting on the sofa. His expression was a mix of incredulous thrilled emotion and a hint of some worry as he quickly sized up the scene in front of him. Grace was smiling from ear to ear as she pulled out of her father's almost too tight embrace, but Danny's stunned face and glassy eyes mirrored what Steve had sensed on the phone: happiness definitely, but also an uncertainty with a slight trace of fear and unease. Regardless of what he saw, in two strides Steve had Danny wrapped in a back thumping hug as Grace laughed at the unexpected show of emotion.

He huffed happily as Danny mumbled awkwardly into his shoulder. "And now _you_ want a hug? Get off before you break my neck or choke me to death!"

But Steve could feel the adrenalin shocked vibration coursing through Danny's very tense body that was combined with a very confusing ingredient of undeniable relief. It was a clear enough message for Steve to keep a steadying hand on Danny's shoulder as he sat down next to him.

"So what happened? Have you called or texted Tara yet?"

"I tried. There was no answer." Danny shook his head ruefully as he caught himself first looking to Steve's lips out of a much too recent habit. Overwhelmed by what was happening, he softly added, "I don't know what to do."

Steve chuckled and raised his eyebrows at the last comment. "Really? Since when do you _not_ know what to do, Danno?"

The weak withering look clearly said '_as of now_', so Steve bent down to pick up the cell phone that had carelessly fallen to the floor.

"I'll call her again and let her know the good news. But what exactly happened?" He wanted to call the doctor and give her as much information as possible. So he waited and then squeezed Danny's shoulder when all he got was a blank stare. "How did it start? What can you hear? Does anything hurt? Tara needs to know."

Danny shook his head in confusion as he folded restless, sweaty hands in his lap. "I just took a nap .. I was getting a headache and took a couple of pills. But when I woke up … I heard Grace."

He gave Grace a loopy grin as she giggled and filled in a few missing gaps, including the lack of eating all of his sandwich. Pointing to the table, she made sure Steve understood that she had tried to follow his orders but her father had absolutely refused. "Danno didn't finish lunch but he took a very long nap. He promised to eat when he woke up and then we'd go back out on the beach."

With an approving smile, Steve complimented her. "You did a good job, Gracie. But sometimes sleeping is just as important. Let's forgive him this one time."

SpongeBob had moved on from singing to a type of jarring and erratic language of his own with a variety of other aimlessly cavorting cartoon characters and Danny was having trouble focusing on Grace's voice and then Steve's continued questions. Background noises ebbed and flowed and he missed the short exchange about his truancy over lunch as he heard an odd rush of sounds from the lanai. The doors were open and thousands of very muted noises from outside the house were distracting him.

Steve was still waiting for more though and he frowned as Danny seemed to zone out and his eyes wavered from Grace to the television and then settled hazily towards the lanai.

"Danny?" He paused as Danny rubbed his eyes and then blinked rapidly as if trying to clear his vision. Danny seemed to be up one minute and then down the very next; as if he were incredibly happy and then completely disoriented. "Hey, are you okay?"

"It's a lot. There's a lot .. of _sounds_ .. almost like white noise .. you sound like you're far away and in a tunnel. I can hear you and Grace and all your words. And then I can hear other things .. but their just muddled, mixed up and all bunched together." Danny frowned and then shook his head as he once again rubbed his face. "I guess it will all clear up .. but it's just .. a lot .. after so long."

Steve placed his hand once again on Danny's back as he pulled up the last number dialed on the cell phone. He was sweating and his taut muscles were rock-hard from a new stress. Huge strides had been taken but it was obvious that Danny was out of sorts and very much overwhelmed. "Can please you take a few deep breaths and try to relax? I'll call Tara and leave a message if I don't get her. Okay?"

Danny gave a short nod and then smiled at Grace as he noticed her growing concern. "It's okay Monkey. We just need to get in touch with the doctor and ask her a few questions."

Steve added a soothing smile for Grace's benefit as he called Tara Desai directly only to sigh when the call went right to voicemail once more. Danny's face was disappointed as he listened to Steve's one-sided message which he also marked as urgent before ending the call.

"It's Saturday .. obviously, she's out and about. But she'll call back. Maybe we should just go over to Tripler now ..check in; get some help and make sure you're okay? "

"No, I don't want to do that." Danny quickly interrupted him as glanced over to Grace whose budding crestfallen face had immediately changed yet again to one of saddened alarm at having to go to the hospital for the rest of the day. Her smile barely lingered now as she looked at him with big, sad eyes.

"Are you sick Danno?" Danny smiled soothingly and pulled her closer onto his lap.

"I'm not sick .. I'm getting _better_ and only need to _talk_ to the doctor. We're not going to lose our weekend Grace." Danny felt the subtle nudge against his knee but he chose to ignore Steve's worried grumble and disapproving expression. And then Danny remembered something he'd been told about her calendar for the next few weeks. Tara had a conference on the mainland where she was scheduled to be the key note speaker.

"What's the date? She may be away for the next few days in L.A." Sure enough, a call to Tara's answering service confirmed her travel schedule. Steve listened impatiently and made a long suffering face as the service representative typed a few things into his computer.

"_Yes, I have it right here. Doctor Desai will be in L.A. and had no scheduled office hours as of late yesterday afternoon when she left town. Her office will reopen on Tuesday morning."_ Steve sighed in exasperation and repeated the information to Danny who now nodded as he clearly remembered her mentioning the event.

He looked up though as Steve's expression changed to one of complete annoyance and he blurted out a not-so-nice "_No, thank you. This is not an emergency and that will not be necessary_".

There was no hiding the disgusted tilt to Steve's mouth which made Danny rise to the bait when he remained quiet. "So? What was that about?"

"You're right and we will wait for Tara to call us back. You can make an appointment to see her next Tuesday. Doctor Neil Hathaway is at the top of the list as being available in her absence, along with a few others."

Annoyed by the mere mention of a man he'd never even met, Steve made a face as he ruffled his hair. He would definitely be happier if Danny could see a doctor to get checked out, but Hathaway would never be that option. Ramirez might be .. but he wasn't the right specialist and would only truly be able to help if Danny complained about feeling ill. So Steve voiced a compromise. "If you feel fine, then I think we should wait for Tara to call."

The explanation was enough for Danny but the overly protective tone also got a grin out of him and a few faintly sarcastic words. "Yes, Steven. I feel perfectly fine."

The short exchange slowly made Grace's smile return. She had no idea who this other doctor was, but making an appointment for Tuesday sounded good. The weekend wouldn't be ruined by being stuck in a boring office building and Danno was definitely alright.

She nodded happily as Danny motioned to her beach bag. "So Grace, I think now is a good time to get back out there and look for some shells?"

But the second aggravated nudge on his knee came back stronger this time as Steve stopped Grace and then pointed to the remains of Danny's lunch as he hauled him to his feet. "Nope, sorry. You _are_ going to eat first before any of us do another thing."

Grace laughed as Danny glared at Steve's demand and then as he loudly stressed the next few words and through his own words back at him. "Grace can get her things together while you at least finish lunch. Don't disappoint your daughter by taking too long or not sticking to your _**promise**_."

As Grace started to reorganize her things for the beach, the few moments gave Steve an opportunity to speak to Danny more privately. With a somewhat tensely bent posture, Danny's hands were also still holding a subtle tremble and he had begun to look around nervously as sounds came at him from various angles. It was appearing to Steve as if they would need to speak to Tara sooner, rather than later based on the unconscious anxious queues.

"You _**will **_tell me if anything .. _anything_ .. feels wrong or off. That includes headaches, migraines, and dizziness." One finger came up as Steve ticked off each of the potential three problems. He was extremely excited by Danny's new recovery but he also hadn't missed the nervous energy that was rolling off his friend in waves. Danny wasn't having trouble following questions or the conversation per se, but there was a certain odd level of distraction making him appear jittery and uncoordinated.

"Yeah. Okay." Danny muttered quietly as he sat at the kitchen table and Steve narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he studied Danny closely. Agreement came just a bit too fast and Steve watched him as shaky fingers fumbled around the sandwich. Old sounds had become new and they flooded his deprived senses in a discordant rush. At one point, Danny couldn't stop himself from flinching and he froze mid-bite as Grace slammed the door to the lanai. Bare feet thudded across the hard wood floor as she ran past them and into the kitchen. The DVD movie had ended but he could hear the music which now sounded harsh and unharmonious to his frazzled brain.

With an effort guided by Steve's unrelenting gaze, he studiously forced the rest of his lunch down and closed his eyes as he tried to bring in a huge lungful of air to settle his racing heart. But Steve began to grin when a smile began to grow across Danny's face. Their eyes met across the table as Danny got to his feet and headed for the door.

Out of sight on the edge of the lanai with one toe already pointing towards the ocean, Danny clearly heard Grace calling to him impatiently from where she now waited with her towel and beach pail.

"Come on Danno! Let's go!"

**_~ to be continued ~ _**


	18. Chapter 18

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: my assumption is that audiologists don't typically have 'emergencies' in the literal sense of the word. So, it is feasible that Tara would leave her phone in the hotel room for a weekend convention where she is key note speaker and not on call at TAMC. Continued thanks to this fantastic FF community and to CinderH for constant beta help.**

**Important side note: chapters will be really delayed after this one - I have an unexpected medical issue to care for after an ER visit two days ago. Tests and major surgery likely pending. Things will follow based on that and honestly, my overall mood. Which is quite crummy right now.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Eighteen**

The luncheon hosted by the few elite corporate sponsors was long and tedious and Tara found herself checking the time when no one was looking. As key note speaker, she was of course the guest of honor and expected to not only be wined and dined, but also graciously be available to those attending the special luncheon event. She certainly wasn't anti-social and she enjoyed her job immensely. But by the second hour, she felt like everyone in the room had picked her brain at least five times and her cheeks were starting to feel numb from smiling so much.

To avoid distractions, she had traveled lightly to the hotel's reserved event room with only her business cards and room key tucked discreetly in a jacket pocket. It was at least convenient to be housed in the same pretty hotel with her room on the tenth floor and only a quick elevator escape away. One of her personal bad habits was an insatiable obsessive need to check emails and manage text messages with her office and particular friends. A vibration or small trill from her phone could have her sidetracked in a split second. Recognizing that trait in herself, Tara felt naked but she intentionally left her cell phone in her hotel room which she was now finally returning to after the almost three hour ordeal. But she was on approved travel, wasn't on call and the answering service knew how to contact her at the hotel regardless.

"One more day to go." She said out loud as she immediately unplugged the cell phone from its charger and turned it on. She had three hours to herself before another obligatory cocktail party scheduled for that evening with event organizers. It was a much smaller affair but nonetheless still chock full of expectations. The larger conference would take place Sunday afternoon with a scheduled end at 5 p.m. Two hundred people interested in her background and military blast trauma experiences were anxiously waiting to hang on her every word. Following that, her plans were to leave L.A. very early on Monday morning.

But now, while the messages synchronized, it took her less time to kick off heels and strip off her fancy business suit in exchange for comfortable worn jeans and a t-shirt. Part of her old burn scars peeked out from under the sleeve of the t-shirt; but she didn't even see them anymore. Carefully pinned hair came down in a shaggy mess and then into a loose pony tail as she listened to her voicemail using the speaker function. She'd missed a few calls and had at least eight voicemail messages.

One message was just a brief breath .. a quick inhale and then it ended. Curious, Tara checked the call log and saw it was from Danny's cell phone. She felt a tingling in her stomach as she replayed what amounted to a single note of sound. Skipping forward, the next message was also from Danny's phone but it was from Steve.

"_**Hi Tara, it's Steve. We've got some great news here. Danny's hearing is coming back. Can you call back when you get this message? Danny needs to see you."**_

Sitting cross-legged on the hotel bed, Tara immediately called Danny back as she checked her watch. L.A. was two hours ahead of Honolulu time and she laughed happily. Steve had called 1:30 p.m. Hawaiian time and it was now 3:39 p.m. L.A., she had only missed them by barely ten minutes.

Steve answered on the second ring and she could hear gulls and crashing waves in the background. He was excited and distinctly relieved to hear her voice.

"_That was quick!_"

"First time I've been happy about a time difference. Just got out of a luncheon." Tara blurted out stupidly and then jumped to her core concerns. "How is he …both ears? Anything we talked about earlier with side effects?"

There was only a slight pause since Danny had to be near and Steve's voice dropped slightly. _"Mostly good and .. confused … yes both, and I don't think it's what you said. But there's some unease .. like he's overwhelmed."_

Another pause and Steve's voice changed to a normal more casual tone. Tara could hear Danny and then Steve passed the phone to him with a short, "_here ..hold on .. let him tell you_."

Tara sat there on the bed waiting with a smile plastered to her face but all she heard was wind and gulls so she prompted him with a soft chuckle. "Hello? Danny? Are you there?"

And then Steve was in the background and she laughed when she heard him voice what she was thinking. "_Danny, __**say**__ something!_"

On the heels of those words, Tara couldn't help chuckling louder at the short shallow breathing and the teasing came out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Well? This is a sexy turn-on. Not exactly what I had expected for our first real conversation. But it's nice."

Danny must have nearly dropped the phone or his expression had to have changed with Steve's next distant comment. Tara had to stop herself from laughing even more in order to not miss their short banter. "_What is __**wrong**__ with you? Why do you look like that? **Speak** Daniel!_"

And then Danny spoke, but it was more of a hissed whisper and it wasn't said to Tara. By now, she sat there on the bed with her phone smashed to her own ear while she held her stomach and giggled even harder. "_Shut it Steven. Go play with Gracie and build a sandcastle. A really big one._"

There was a short chuff, some sort of distant comment again from Steve that included the words "_princesses_" and "_moat_". There was an aggravated groan and then Danny seemed to finally regain some composure as he spoke to Tara.

"_I can't believe you just said that to me DOCTOR Desai._" A second later, he added laughingly. "_And I can't believe I told that Neanderthal to go play with my innocent daughter. What was I thinking? This is help?_"

Tara was almost howling by that point. She could just see the two men on the beach and the wildly waving hands. But she was happy to hear that Danny also had Grace. It made her feel good to know that his day was nearly normal and he was surrounded by family.

"Part of me can't either. But …," she admitted as she coughed back more giggles to not too shyly add, "I am _**not**_ going to apologize."

The playful words got him to relax even more and she could hear the continued smile in his reply. "_For some reason, I wouldn't expect you too._"

But her practiced ear also picked up on the remaining strands of stress and before he could say anther word, Tara went into doctor mode.

"Remember what I told you in our last meeting? The one you practically ignored me at?" She smiled at the rueful snort she heard from him. "Your feelings are normal and you could be overwhelmed with your hearing coming back. Danny, it's _normal_. So breathe and focus on what you can decipher. If you need to regroup, sit in a quiet room and just settle. But this is all normal stuff."

She waited, and then made sure he had gotten it because he didn't reply. "Did you hear me well enough?"

The sigh said yes, before Danny finally voiced it. "_Yes. As if you're in a tunnel but yes. And it's everything that you said it would be." _In their very last meeting, Tara had tried to prepare him for the onset of noise and what regaining his hearing could be like. But as with most patients, he was so anxious to get back the sense that he hadn't quite bought into the challenges of allowing his brain to relearn what to tune out and truly listen to. In a typical manner, he'd understood but not entirely believed the advice.

She heard the sound of the wind change in the cell phone's small microphone and the surf in the background became more distant. Danny was walking or aimlessly pacing and she could hear other shuffling noises as he repositioned the phone against his head.

The next question came out in a worried rush of words and it voiced another very normal reaction. Tara nodded as he recognized the core issue but she waited for him to vent and complain about what he had thought would be so much easier.

"_How can I miss something so much and then … __**then**__ just want it to be quiet again? Tara, everything is so .. very loud ..I don't remember life being so loud._" Danny sounded not quite scared, but apprehensive and Tara felt tears sting her eyes as she bit her lip. She looked blindly around the hotel room and found a new reason to resent her new professional demands. "_When will you be back?"_

Speaking loudly and very specifically, Tara became very serious but kept the easy friendly tone in her voice. "Monday afternoon. I'll be back on Monday. Danny, just remember it's all normal. You will get the rest of your hearing back in a few more days. Your brain has to relearn what to tune out. But it's perfectly okay."

He gave a disgusted grunt as he muttered, "_And find my happy place_."

Her easy laugh agreed and then she added gently, "You are doing it now you know. Did you ever think of that?"

The startled "_what?_" clearly said that he hadn't, so she said quickly, "I can tell you're outside on the beach and yes, you are a bit distracted. But you are having absolutely no problem talking to me right? Zero problems. If you couldn't, I'd be concerned as your doctor.. and frankly, I'm not worried at all right now."

More silence and then a more relieved chuckle reached her ears. "_I knew I liked you for a reason._"

Tara laughed and then even more happily when he lowered his voice discreetly and a smile finally reached the more even tone. "_And by the way, you get sexy breathing but I get to hear a sexy voice_." Looking down at her ancient jeans and t-shirt, she started laughing all over again.

"Uh yeah, not so much. But thanks!"

They stayed on the phone talking a good many minutes more until Tara heard Grace calling him in the background. The professional side of her noted that Danny continued to easily transition from talking to her to Steve, and now to his child.

With a huge smile, Tara got up from the bed to gaze out the tenth floor hotel window. "Go have a great time with Gracie. Just remember what I said … but call me if you need anything and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

After the call ended, she sent Danny a text message. "_Call Answering Service if urgent. Hotel staff to pull me out of conference for 911_."

But she was then quickly on the phone with her office at TAMC making demands, of the weekend staff. "Angie, change my flight to anything earlier. Even a red-eye ...thanks!"

**~ to be continued ~ (_promise! But I ask for your patience_!)**


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: Every day I say this: this is THE best FF community - you are all phenomenal and wonderfully caring people. My sincere thanks for the sweet get well wishes; they mean so much to me. **

**And I got a glimmer of good news today and hope the second specialist (surgeon) agrees on Monday with what the MRI seems to say. The Monday appointment is the most important one so far. But today, both the radiologist and the first specialist agree on what could be some good news ... so I THINK at least I will be able to sleep tonight for a change. MAYBE. I plan on trying harder.**

**Hence, I left work early and eased my mind with some writing! (or should I say "_ergo_"?)**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 19**

Though he had brief moments of disorienting unease, Danny was relatively fine for quite a while after talking to Tara. Her kind, sensible words were logical and did a tremendous amount to ease his mind. When he felt a tightening nervousness in the pit of his stomach, Danny would pause and mentally remind himself of what she said. "_It's normal, Danny. Just breathe through it!" _

And he appreciated her deeply resonant voice, which he was thinking of now as he cautiously pulled the plastic bucket off his newest turret for the ever-expanding sandcastle. Monday afternoon was a long way off and he was definitely looking forward to her return from L.A.

"What's so funny?" Steve asked slyly as an unconscoius quirky grin spread across Danny's face. Grace stopped her moat digging as she glanced from her Uncle Steve and then to her father. But Danny's answer was to blatantly dangle and boldly sway the small plastic bucket from his middle finger as he openly challenged him.

"Why don't you go fill this, Steven?'

Laughing, Steve got to his feet as he snagged the small pink bucket from the rude finger. "You bet, Danno."

But in reality, Danny wanted to ignore the fatigue that was now creeping up on him as he tried to extend his time out on the beach with Grace. With an inward groan, he found himself becoming overwhelmed by the constant rush of noises. And as he began to fail at managing them, Danny knew that he needed to follow Tara's advice and rest. He was finding it increasingly difficult to focus on Steve, Grace and even on the simple sandcastle they were building together. The feelings of distracted unease escalated when two jet skis thundered directly behind them in a long series of free-style circles and figure eights. With a barely muffled gasp, he suddenly lurched to his feet startling both Grace and Steve who were putting the finishing touches on their masterpiece.

"Danno?" Grace said in surprise as she dropped her plastic shovel and the smile slowly left her face. Struggling for composure, Danny forced himself to look down at his daughter but he could only see her lips moving as the much too loud jet skis took over his flooded senses. He couldn't even gather the strength or the will power to try and read her lips. The realization scared him and he began to stumble forward towards the house hurriedly.

"Sorry … have to go in. I'm tired ... Grace .. stay with Uncle Steve." Danny muttered with an unconscious wince as the booming motors roared by again in the deep surf. He didn't want to ruin Grace's fun as the large sandcastle came to life. But his shoulders hunched as if he were in great pain as various sounds infiltrated his very core. To hide the shake in his hands, he buried them deeply in his pockets as he began the short shuffle to the lanai. His only thought was to get to Steve's spare bedroom where he could hide for a while from the never-ending onslaught.

Steve rubbed Grace's back soothingly as he rocked to his knees and began to toss her various things together into a bundle. "It's okay. Danno's only tired Gracie, let's go in for a bit."

He scowled then as he looked up and saw how far Danny had already gotten away from them. Trying not to shout too loudly, Steve called after the tightly bunched up figure. "Whoa, wait up Danny!"

But Danny didn't seem to hear him as he continued to walk further away towards the house and Steve had to bite back a worried curse. With a weak grin, he helped Grace to her feet and handed her the beach towel. "Come on Grace, let's go!"

"Is Danno okay, Uncle Steve?" Grace asked as she cradled her towel and beach bag in her arms. She was practically jogging after Steve to keep with his much longer strides.

Steve hesitated a half step as he placed his hand on the top of her head to keep her moving through the hot sand. "He's fine, sweetie. Danno just needs to take a break."

With an honest grin at her own flushed cheeks that he only now noticed, Steve tweaked a pony tail. "I think you might need one too, missy!" Trusting that what he said was true about her father, Grace smiled as she picked up her pace.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Danny groaned in relief as he practically dove through the lanai doors out of the blistering sun and away from the incessant rush of noises. Forcing himself to reach his goal, he almost tripped on the steps as he made his way upstairs to the small back bedroom where he immediately closed the door and then shut the blinds. The room had only one window and was as dark as it possibly could be considering the late afternoon sunshine. And though it wasn't completely silent it was blessedly quiet in comparison to the overly raucous beach environment.

His mind raced through the instructions that Tara had given him as he stood completely frozen in the middle of the room with tightly fisted hands. Eyes closed and shoulders still tense, he was having trouble remembering what she had said. But at least he could almost think again without the combined bombardment of sound, bright sunshine and stifling heat. After a few minutes, key words fell from his lips.

"Happy place. Normal." Danny whispered to himself worriedly as he vainly tried to focus his jittery mind. "Breathe. Quiet and settle. But it's normal."

The words became a short mantra as he picked the short wall on the opposite side of the small bed to slide down and sit in an awkward heap. Sandwiched in the darkest corner between the bed and the wall, he buried his sweat streaked face against his knees and tried to calm his erratic breathing. In that position on the floor and shielded by the furniture, all of the gulls, waves and other former harsh sounds coming off the beach were now a consolidated and very distant blur of white noise. Taking deep breaths, Danny continued to concentrate solely on his breathing as his hands finally stilled and white knuckled fingers slowly unclenched.

Two words were softly recited as he kept his eyes closed and his face hidden. "Breathe. Settle." But eventually even his own rough voice quieted as his breathing evened and became more normal.

And Danny wasn't the only one Tara had spoken to about the stressful threats that would thwart a successful recovery. Steve had been coached to watch for a number of things including underlying stress reactions related to sensory overload. Anxiety, restlessness, irritability, disorientation and loss of attention were all indicators of someone's inability to manage on their own. And according to Tara, a person's hearing was one of the most difficult and most susceptible to overload after experiencing an intensely deprived environment for a long period of time. And by default, stress levels would rise the most when the patient found themselves unable to tune things out.

The beauty of the support was its overall simplicity and Steve was anxious to check on Danny as he efficiently made sure Grace was occupied at the kitchen table with a glass of juice and a small snack.

"I'm sure Danno's upstairs and lying down. I'm just going to make sure he's okay and then I'll be right back." Steve waited a second as Grace accepted the brief explanation. It was obvious that Danny had become apprehensive and hyper-sensitive to sounds that he could no longer tune out as the long day wore on. Steve was annoyed with himself for not noticing first and he just hoped that Danny hadn't waited too long to recognize the rising problems on his own.

"Damn it." Steve muttered as he checked his watch to realize they'd been outside for at least three hours. With Danny's hearing only beginning to return that very day, Steve now wondered if they'd all overdone it.

Taking the stairs two at a time and out of Grace's line of sight, Steve now allowed the true worry to crease his face. Tara had also spoken to Steve about the best support structure should Danny experience feelings of overload. As he made up to the top landing, he was now a bit more relieved to find the spare bedroom door closed. He knew that Danny had at least followed his own specific orders as a patient. And now Steve had his instructions which he intended to stick with as he carefully turned the door knob. Almost tip-toeing, Steve quietly entered the room and took notice of the drawn blinds but he had expected to see Danny resting in bed; however, the bed was completely empty and still perfectly made up. Nothing was out of place.

"Danny?" Steve whispered in a concerned hushed tone as he closed the door and crept forward. Quickly searching the small room, Steve rounded the foot of the bed as he saw the top of the bowed blonde head and then finally the huddled shape.

Steve had instructions to use Danny's name often as a focal point but then to simply allow him time to decompress. He wasn't to pester with questions or advice but to only guide and support until Danny volunteered or asked for something. Fatigue from having to deal with the volume of stimuli was to be expected or in some cases, even an erratic sleeplessness which Steve hoped wouldn't happen in Danny's case. So now, even though Steve wanted to ask any number of anxious questions, he merely crouched down next to Danny and waited.

After a few minutes, Steve cocked his head and frowned in confusion. The sound he heard coming from Danny's folded position sounded oddly like … _snoring_.

Swallowing hard, Steve dared to touch the folded hands which had finally quieted. "Uh, Danny? Are you okay?" He whispered again tentatively. The gentle touch and barely spoken words were enough for Danny to start as he struggled awake from his light doze. Bleary-eyed, he peered up at Steve and tiredly studied the confused expression. His eyes strayed to Steve's lips automatically but then he corrected himself.

"Hmm?" The bland response made Steve completely relax and he began to grin as he slowly stood to pull down the bed covers and then doubled the pillows.

"Danny. Get in bed, buddy. Go back to sleep. I got Grace. We'll be downstairs." Tiredly, Danny gathered the brief words together and finally nodded while Steve helped him to his feet. Sandy clothes were carelessly pulled off before Steve folded him under the covers and tucked blankets nearly up to his chin. Curling on his right side, Danny yanked the covers up over his head and burrowed deeply down into the soft sheets. Silently, Steve found a nightlight and plugged it into the farthest corner of the small bedroom. According to Tara, low lights were essential in maintaining a very quiet environment and until the patient could orient back to normal. Complete darkness was actually counter-productive where a small nightlight would prove comforting.

Making sure that the windows were closed and that no unwanted or unexpected sound would disturb Danny as he slept, Steve checked on him one last time. And then went through his mental checklist from Tara. Satisfied that he'd cared for everything, Steve snorted and shook his head happily at the lax hands. Peaceful snoring sounds were already faintly coming up from under the blankets.

As he stood over the bed, a stray thought ran unbidden through Steve's mind and he literally slapped his own forehead in self-disgust. Since leaving the office and rushing home, hours had passed and he hadn't once thought of calling Chin or Kono about Danny's recovery. Leaving the room in a soundless rush, Steve grinned as he went back downstairs to rejoin Grace. He had some serious explaining to do!

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	20. Chapter 20

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: thank you AGAIN for the prayers and get well wishes. I'm getting better and had the best type of surgery (least invasive) with (so far) the best news I could hope for. I'll be in bed at least a week and out of work for at least two weeks. Continued THANKS to CinderH for all the beta help.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 20**

Grace cautiously scooted off the kitchen chair as her Uncle Steve wandered into the kitchen to make a few phone calls. He had been very happy when he came down the stairs and she was relieved that Danno was in fact sleeping. But Uncle Steve had been upstairs for a long time and Grace had almost gone looking for him after she finished her juice. And she didn't mean to act sneaky, but now she wanted to see Danno for herself and she wasn't entirely sure if Uncle Steve would approve. So she kept an eye on him while he had his back to her in the kitchen. And when she heard him speaking on the phone to Uncle Chin, Grace quietly slipped up the staircase and into the darkened spare bedroom.

She already knew that she had to be very quiet, so not a dust mote stirred as Grace approached the bed. She stifled a giggle because Danno was buried under all the blankets again like he had been down on the sofa earlier that morning. And just like that time, she still couldn't see his face. With great care, Grace climbed up on the bed and sat back on her heels trying to figure out how to best squeeze in under the covers. But Danny solved the problem by shifting and coming half awake.

With one eye barely open, Danny squinted hazily up at Grace's huge grin and then automatically held the top blanket up for her to snuggle up against him.

"Nap Monkey?" Danny mumbled softly much more than half asleep and with a voice already roughened by exhaustion.

She nodded and quickly squirmed up against his chest as the blanket lowered and his arm gently lay over small shoulder. Smiling happily, Grace was very careful not to jar him if he had a headache as she found a comfortable spot on the pillow. As she got settled, her hand grasped just a few of his fingers and Danny gave her an unconscious loving squeeze in return. Her head wound up just a few inches under his chin and Danny fell back asleep with the scent of her favorite strawberry shampoo mingled with sand and suntan lotion.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

"Listen. I said that I was sorry!" Steve whispered harshly into the phone as Kono berated him for taking so long to call about Danny's progress. He was still in the kitchen with his back to the dining room table as he failed to apologize for the hundredth time. In fact, nothing he said so far as an apology was good enough to appease either cousin. Chin hadn't been any happier with him and Steve hung his head dismally while he moved the phone about an inch away from his ear.

Insulted was an understatement as Kono caustically demanded to know why Steve was whispering. "_Is Danny sick again? Why are you whispering? Is there something wrong?_"

With a wounded sigh, he kept his voice low as Kono finally paused in her angry tirade. "No, nothing's wrong at all. I'm whispering because I have to keep the house quiet and I don't want to upset Grace. But Kono, I really mean it when I say that I'm _**sorry** _about not calling sooner." He was then forced to hesitate again as he listened to her ongoing complaints.

"_Five minutes wouldn't have been so hard to spare Steve_." Kono griped as she slowly began to relent and calm down. "_But you were gone by the time that idiot was booked. And you didn't return my call! What were we supposed to assume except that something bad had happened?"_

"Yeah, I know. I understand. I just didn't think." Steve rubbed his face and then shrugged while he spoke into the phone. "Why don't you and Chin come over tomorrow morning?"

"_Tomorrow? But …it's early ... and ..._" Kono had already picked up her car keys and was making mental plans on what desserts to bring over an impromptu get-together when Steve interrupted.

"I know it's only five o'clock but I'm not sure how long he's going to sleep after what happened today. Tara said he could become overloaded and he _**did**_ .. Danny was exhausted, shaky. He could barely keep his eyes open just now. Tomorrow would be better."

Steve was angry as he mentally kicked himself again for not noticing the signs sooner as he briefly described what had happened on the beach. "We need to watch for this – keep things quiet – more controlled."

"_Fine_." Kono sighed in agreement. "_I'll swing by the bakery and be there around 9 a.m._"

Steve smiled as he ended the call. "Thanks Kono. And don't knock or use the bell .. just come in or meet us out on the lanai. Not too much fuss, okay?"

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Grace woke up only one hour after sneaking away to find Danny. She had no idea of the flash of fearful anxiety Steve experienced when he realized that she was missing. Turning around from where he'd been standing in the kitchen, he was about to ask Grace if she could get cleaned up from the beach and get ready for dinner.

"Grace, why don't you get clean clothes ..." Steve stopped mid-sentence when he realized the whole of the first floor seemed empty. Walking quickly to the lanai, he saw her pile of beach things but there was no sign of the child. Nervous about where a ten year old might decide to go, he hastily went so far as striding out onto the beach to scan the waters as well as their recent sandcastle. But most people had already left for the day and Grace was nowhere to be seen. The main floor bathroom yielded the same results so he quietly jogged up the stairs to Danny's room.

"You better be here. Or your father will have my head." Steve muttered to himself just before easing the door open. He had to then work at muffling his own sigh of relief when he caught sight of the small hand peeking out from under the blanket. Silently, Steve peered over the rumpled mound of blankets and then satisfied that the two were safely sleeping, left the room.

But just a few minutes later, a sleepy-eyed and tousled Grace was standing before him. "I woke up." she announced and then bluntly added. "I'm hungry."

"I see that." Steve snorted lightly as he gently guided her into the downstairs bathroom with towels and a change of clothing from her small overnight bag.

But his mind was racing as he thought of ways to occupy the rest of the evening. "I'll make dinner while you clean up and then we'll just take things from there."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Danny woke hours later in the middle of the night and missed dinner entirely plus a quietly rousing game of poker where Grace did a masterful job of cleaning Steve out of his small stash of nickels and pennies.

"You will never cease to amaze me, Daniel." Steve had sighed as Grace pocketed her winnings in her small zippered coin purse.

His stunned question of '_who taught you this game?_' was answered with an off-hand shrug and a tiny but not so innocent smile and with one word. "_Daddy_." Like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So much for 'go-fish'." Steve muttered in disgust when Grace smiled at him happily.

Steve had then moved Grace into his sister's bedroom for the night and had stayed up reading for a few hours hoping that Danny would finally wake up. But with one final check on him, Steve had finally gone to bed himself sometime after midnight. In fact, Steve had briefly considered waking him, but the lines of weary fatigue still creased Danny's face and so, Steve had simply and very quietly closed the door.

"Too much, Danno." Steve had mumbled worriedly as he checked his watch and realized that Danny had already clocked over seven full hours of straight sleep. He'd be sure to watch for signs much faster in the morning to avoid a repeat of that day's stressful events. But then he too, had finally turned in for the night.

Now Danny lay in bed with his eyes closed just listening to the muffled sounds in and around the house. He felt distinctly better and he sighed with relief as he carefully picked through and identified a distant car driving by on the road and then a dog barking in someone's yard. The house itself was peacefully quiet and he finally rolled over to push back blankets and get to his feet. His stomach growled loudly as he left the room and peeked his head into where he rightly assumed Grace might be sleeping.

Sure enough, she was comfortably bundled in Mary's old bedroom and Danny smiled warmly at his obviously very content daughter. He then eased past Steve's open door and then down to the kitchen to raid whatever leftovers might be hidden in the refrigerator. But he stood there in the moonlit kitchen just listening. To the soft rumble of Steve's refrigerator, to papers rustling on the counter because the window had been left open and a breeze was moving them, and then the very distant sounds of surf. Another car drove by on the street and the same neighbor's dog barked again. But by then Danny's smile had turned into a happy laugh.

The soft pleased sounds from his throat faded though as he picked up the faint scent of rain on the same breeze that was gently moving past the fluttering kitchen curtains. The temperature had dropped slightly as well and Danny found himself drawn to the window. A rumble of thunder startled him from the direction of the beach. He mentally counted the seconds between the flashes of lightning and the thunder as he began to gauge its distance out from the house.

"Ten miles." He whispered into the night as the breeze eventually became a wind and the smell of rain reached him more strongly. At the three mile mark, small raindrops began to touch his skin as the wind picked up even more and the curtain fluttered more furiously. A sudden burst of wind hit him full in the face and sent the papers that had been on the counter scattering wildly across the floor. Within minutes, the thunder was practically overhead and the lightening was almost too close to count down. Danny closed his eyes and just listened to the booms, the scattered papers as they skittered around the floor, and then even the rain drops as they hit the window.

"Two miles. Maybe." Danny muttered to himself as he took in deep breaths of the heavily rain soaked wind. Another boom shook him and lightning flashed almost simultaneously.

"No." He breathed out after taking a lungful of air. "No. I bet it's closer."

"Danny?" Steve had woken shortly after sensing movement in the house. It was soon after Danny had crept past his bedroom door but hearing nothing more, Steve had dozed until the rain began to hit the roof as the storm reached the beachfront. The first stirrings of worry had become a true feeling of alarm when he had gotten out of bed and saw that Danny's room was empty.

Now standing behind him in the kitchen, Steve's heart was in his throat at the déjà vu of finding Danny seemingly frozen yet again in the midst of a storm.

"Danny?" He whispered once more, as he took a step closer and dared to lay his hand on the quietly heaving shoulder. As before, his face was gleaming and his t-shirt splattered with wetness.

"I can hear it." Danny answered Steve without looking. "I heard it and I counted it down." The statements were simple and held a very pleased note of self-satisfaction. And now that he could better see Danny's face, he saw the faint glimmers of a relaxed smile on the rain splattered cheeks.

"It's moving fast. It will be over soon." Danny added quietly as he finally turned around to face him. But Steve was rooted to the spot now and completely overwhelmed as he slowly rubbed his face with his own shaking hands.

"You're okay?" Steve asked softly. Almost not believing what had just happened. Afraid that the happy grin on Danny's face might not be real.

"It's okay? It's better?" Steve repeated inanely.

"Yup. Definitely." Danny whispered back as he pulled the refrigerator door open. Bending down, he started to pull out a variety of dishes and wrapped foods.

"But .. I woke up and now I'm hungry."

The similarity to Grace was startling and Steve had to bite back a very surprised, almost barked out laugh as he forced himself to move. In a rough voice that held a slight trace of disbelief and possibly even the hint of an hysterical giggle, Steve managed to blurt out a reply which caused Danny to frown. "You're hungry. Of course you are."

He then had to make a concerted effort to avoid Danny's confused expression as he sank weakly down into a chair and scrubbed at his face again.

"Fine, Danno. We'll eat and take things from here. But I warn you, I'm drawing the line at poker."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	21. Chapter 21

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: I've read each and every note and kind review. But I know I've been slow in getting back to you. I promise that I will! The sleepy muses are waking and felt the need for this rather longish chapter. Hmm, I kinda like this writing in bed thing while recuperating .. it's a lot easier than stealing time during my real work week. LOL! And the waking muses are running amok once again.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 21**

Kono quizzically eyed Steve's pinched face and weary expression on the lanai. Her next question was not only voiced quietly, but very bluntly and it held a distinct tinge of exasperation. "Why are you so tired?"

It was a few minutes after 9 a.m. and she was in the process of opening two different bakery boxes, along with two bottles of orange juice. But a different large white bag was carefully placed off to the side as she simultaneously studied Steve's scruffy unshaven cheeks. She smacked his hand as he peered into the one box that contained a dozen mixed malasadas.

"No, not yet! And answer my question."

Chin had arrived earlier and was in the kitchen with Danny collecting an array of plates, mugs, glasses and utensils. The first batch of coffee was outside in the carafe and a second batch was already being brewed. And the late night rain had quickly blown over leaving the morning air impeccably fresh and clean without a cloud in the sky. The early morning die-hard exercise nuts were off the beach and the first couples and families were beginning to straggle out for post storm beach combing and casual strolls. Flocks of seagulls were swooping one section of the ocean, so some small schooling fish was near the surface. But for the most part, the morning was peaceful and predictable. As was Steve's predictably annoyed expression as Kono voiced her rapid and astute conclusions.

"Are you doing it again? Didn't you sleep last night?" Half teasing and half serious, Kono snagged his arm and then made him sit in the closest chair.

"No, you know what? Don't answer because obviously you _**are** _going to do it again."

Steve rolled his eyes as he tried to keep quiet but then felt a need to defend himself. For an inexplicable reason he was stammering out what he thought had been valid enough reasons at Kono's challenging glare and incessant chatter.

"We had a busy day yesterday .. and then last night … the storm that blew in … Danny was up early and …Grace was up before him .. an hour ago, he and Grace went for a short walk on the beach …" His fingers struggled through his damp hair that was almost a matted dark mess and Kono sighed in disgust.

"And _**then**_ .. so were you. _Involved_. Of course." Kono finished the sentence for Steve as she handed him a mug of coffee. She smirked when she noticed his messy hair and the fact that it was still damp from his regular morning routine; and then the discarded towel hanging over another nearby chair.

"And you couldn't skip a day, right?" Sarcasm was oozing out of her mouth as she plated bakery goods. "And how was the water after the storm? A bit rough maybe? Was it a great work-out for you?"

"_Kono_ .. " His abused sigh rang out loudly on the lanai, but Kono couldn't help being spiteful and rude as she poured herself a mug and sat next to him.

"Well, I spoke to Chin earlier and it's my turn. He picked you up the last time when you keeled over at Tripler… so I get _**you**_ this time."

"You get _**me**_? What does that mean?" He glared back at her two-faced lopsided grin, but then he couldn't hide the yawn that snuck in under his hand. In reality, the morning swim had sounded like a good idea but then he'd quickly tired in the rougher than normal surf. It had not been rejuvenating at all. The water temperature was also a bit colder from the fast moving storm and he'd cut his swim short. And in fact, his shoulders and lower back held a subtle ache as he shifted to get comfortable in his deck chair.

Steve knew that an ex-pro surfer would surely have his number and more than understand the fickle ocean tides, but he was determined to argue his case. "And don't you think that's a bit of an exaggeration? Keeling over?"

"Nope. Just a matter of time." Kono snarked back as she got comfortable in her chair and then annoyingly stared at the dark smudges appearing under his eyes. She almost laughed when he failed at hiding another yawn that crept up on him quickly. It was only a little after 9 a.m. and Steve already looked like he needed a nap … or even a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Shaking her head in undisguised annoyance, she sipped her hot coffee and couldn't stop herself from repeating her warning with a grim chuckle. "Just a matter of time, boss."

"For what?" Danny asked as he and Chin brought out the remaining dishes and utensils. Grace was in tow carrying a stack of napkins.

Steve's firmly set jaw warned Kono not to answer so for once, she bit her tongue and merely shrugged while she changed the subject. "For … nothing, really. Except this … maybe."

Digging through her bag, she pulled out a thumb drive and tossed it over to Steve. She snickered when he almost missed it and he growled softly under his breath. "_Kono ._.enough of that."

But she ignored him as she tapped the table in his direction. "Seriously, there may have been an accomplice in that dockside murder. We found a short extra video clip that needs to be evaluated. Actually Duke stumbled across it. But that's for later .. let's _**eat**_ …I'm starved! "

With a grand flourish and a huge smile, Chin reached into a nearby tote that he had discreetly put on a small side table and pulled out a bottle of champagne. "And celebrate Danny's good news."

"Ah mimosas! This _**is**_ a celebration" Danny chuckled as he pointed to the two large bottles of orange juice. "I thought there might be a bit of overkill on the juice front. But this … this explains it!"

Grace excitedly reached over and grabbed a glass for herself fully expecting a touch of champagne in her own juice. But Kono saved the day before Danny could deny her as she reached over to pick up the large white bag.

"Hold on Grace. I've got something special in mind for you. Can you come into the kitchen with me for a minute so we can make it together?" Danny raised his eyebrows at Kono's coy expression but he then waved them off. "Okay, we'll wait!"

Danny and Chin got settled around the table as the two went back into the house. As with Kono, Chin had noticed the same happy, but very tired look on Steve's face. Plus even a few minor stumbles on Danny's part in the kitchen. He looked good, much better in fact, but Danny was definitely jumping at sudden noises and had become momentarily distracted by the wheezing and sputtering of the coffee pot as the second batch finished its brew. Chin had asked him twice if he was fine and had been taken aback by Danny's almost irritated snappish response. And then he'd apologized so quickly for the outburst of temper, Chin had simply chalked it up to embarrassment.

In the kitchen, Kono pulled down Steve's blender from a cabinet while Grace unpacked the paper bag. Carefully, she lined up a small package of raspberries, a bottle of organic lemon-lime soda and a bottle of organic passion fruit juice. There was also a small package of colorful beverage umbrellas and another of multi-colored drinking straws.

She watched as Kono blended the passion fruit juice with a few ice cubes. A small bit of the lemon-lime soda was poured into the bottom of a pretty glass, followed by most of the frozen drink and then topped again with more lemon-lime soda. Four raspberries were floated on top along with one of the pretty drink umbrellas and a yellow straw.

"Voila!" Kono laughed as she put the finishing touches on the special breakfast drink and then twirled the glass in the air. It was a pretty color and undoubtedly would taste equally delicious.

"This is your one and only very special passion fruit mimosa! What do you think, Grace? I bet the guys are going to be jealous."

"Wow! Thanks." Grace's eyes were huge as she eagerly took the glass in two hands and slowly walked back out to the lanai. She was beaming as she put it on the table next to her plate where a croissant was already waiting for her.

"What is _**that**_?" Danny remarked with an impressed smile but he was unconsciously fidgeting in his seat. Leaning forward, his hand trembled slightly as he picked up the drink to examine it more closely before sliding it back towards Grace. "Hey, I may want this instead!"

Kono missed the briefly worried glances shared between Chin and Steve as she came back out to the lanai. The unexpectedly harsh sounds of the blender chugging through the ice had nearly unseated Danny. He'd clenched his own coffee mug so tightly that his knuckles had briefly whitened along with his complexion. The nervous reaction caused Chin to realize that the outburst in the kitchen had nothing to do with Danny being embarrassed, but was part of the healing process. Only beginning day two of an exciting recovery, he was still going to tire easily and act like a shell-shocked victim.

"_Danno_?" Steve whispered in alarm as he tried to put a calming hand on the tense shoulder. "_It's okay buddy. It's just the blender._"

It had lasted mere seconds and he'd recovered quickly with a self-recriminating thin-lipped nod. "_M'fine. That was stupid. Sorry_." And by the time Grace was waltzing out with her special breakfast drink, he seemed one hundred percent under control.

To lighten the mood, Chin intentionally picked up on Grace's happiness as Kono came out proudly demonstrating her mixologist skills. "I do believe that's one of Auntie's special concoctions. Something you always have liked since the first time it was made for you. Where was it? At Auntie's wedding reception?"

He was talking, but Chin was moving fluidly past Kono and back into the house with the champagne bottle in hand. After the unsettling reaction to the blender, he had no intention of popping the cork anywhere near Danny's vicinity.

"Yeah, the wedding. I was near Grace's age in fact and I still love this drink." Kono remarked with a pleased smile which helped her hide the subtle confused twitch of her eyebrow as her cousin took the bottle back into the house. "And I think Grace will like it too."

Unable to wait, Grace had already taken a sip and was happily stirring the soda into the frozen bits of the drink. "Aunt Kono said it was a passion fruit mimosa .. just for me. It's delicious!"

"That's really very _**very**_ special." Danny said to Grace, but then addressed Kono with a very content grin. The blender incident was already forgotten overshadowed by the wonderful weekend which had turned into an extremely special affair. Very faintly in the distance, Steve heard the much muffled pop of the champagne cork. And while he almost flinched involuntarily, Danny didn't react and Chin was back moments later with the bottle covered in a towel to catch the white bubbling foam.

The breakfast gathering was a completely unexpected surprise, though it was easy enough for Danny to figure out that Steve had coordinated it the prior day with both Chin and Kono. He was almost overwhelmed by their generous attention that so easily and readily included his daughter. As he watched her happy face, he leaned back in his own chair and blinked back the sting in his eyes. "Thank you."

Steve's softly whispered response echoed everyone's sentiments as the champagne was poured together with the orange juice for the adults own sparkling celebratory drinks. "Any time, Danno. And ... whatever you need."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

"How long have they been gone?" Steve groused as he looked at his watch. He'd fallen into an exhausted sleep on the lanai after a long post-breakfast walk on the beach. During that time, Rachel had texted Danny about picking up Grace in the early afternoon.

"Almost two hours." Kono admitted with a worried sigh. "He said that he needed to talk to Rachel … and Steve, you know that Chin would call if there was a problem."

But Steve was rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands as he paced the distance from his front door and back to the lanai. "It's too soon … same mistake as yesterday. He's doing too much."

After breakfast, the walk had been an expected next step with Grace investigating the remnants of their sandcastle which had nearly been demolished by the rising tide and then the early morning storm. Danny had been relatively fine for the large majority of the time; only seeming to falter and be slightly stressed yet again by the loud screaming engines of passing jet skis. The flinch and hesitation in his step was covered up quickly as Steve and Chin flanked his side to offer quiet support.

After returning, Steve had fallen asleep while Grace gathered her things. And then the argument with Chin was hushed and hadn't lasted long since Danny simply walked out of the house with Grace in hand to wait by Kono's car. Since there was nothing to be done about it, Chin followed placidly enough but was fuming inside. When Rachel had texted Danny about picking up Grace, Danny had volunteered driving her back to the Edward's home himself.

The stunned looks shared between the cousins at the announcement had initiated the heated close-mouthed exchange, but Danny had insisted. "_I need to see Rachel and let her know what's been happening. And I'm taking my own daughter back to step-Stan's_."

"_I'm fine. This is ridiculous_." In an angry hiss, he had pocketed Steve's truck keys but had been thwarted in the end by Kono's small red car.

"_Can't move the truck, brah._" She said smartly as she folded her arms arrogantly. "_I'm blocking you in the driveway. So either one of us takes you, or you can call Rachel back and make other arrangements._"

Chin's eyes were flashing in a worried anger, but his voice continued to be low as he kept a soothing hand on Grace's small shoulder. "_You aren't cleared yet to drive and you know better than this. I'll take you both now. But Danny …yesterday .. you did too much._"

The concern was palpable as Chin noted the sweat beading Danny's forehead and began to recognize the new flare of an irritable temper. It had been a long morning and Steve's description of what to watch out for was becoming more evident. Danny was clearly fatigued and would soon begin to struggle to tamp down a variety of sounds that neither Kono nor Chin could even guess might be problematic. Steve had explained and then had warned them all. But Danny was adamant and in the end, Chin had simply taken both him and Grace back to the Edward's home.

But that was now almost two hours ago, and Steve's alarm upon waking to the news had Kono equally concerned about how Danny was doing. The sound of Kono's car returning, followed by the slamming of a car door had them both rocketing out the front of the house.

Chin hastily waved them forward to help as he jogged around to the passenger side. With a apprehensive tone, he was rambling apologetically to Steve. "I had no idea it was this bad. He fell apart on the way back and only just a few minutes ago. An ambulance … just an ambulance on the freeway but the sirens … right past us. And Rachel .. he insisted on talking to her for the longest time but he's excited about getting well. He seemed fine until the ride back .. _just a few minutes ago._"

Danny was in the passenger seat drenched in sweat and breathing erratically. Both hands covered his ears as he leaned forward almost bent in half as if trying to squeeze under the small dashboard. "Too loud. Need .. _something_ .. what do I need .. need _something_. Can't remember."

He was pathetically frantic as three sets of hands eased him out of the car and supported him to the house. In silence, Steve indicated that Danny needed to be in the darkened spare bedroom.

"It's okay. Almost there." Steve muttered as they pulled shoes off and bundled him into blankets. Kono closed the blinds and then stood back as Steve took over the process to get Danny into a bland environment.

"Come on Danny, what did Tara say?" He coaxed and then turned to Chin as Danny only melted into the bed and failed to control his breathing. Hands were jammed back over his ears as he trembled under the blankets. Steve's whisper was barely audible to Chin as he gave instructions to the distraught man.

"Sedatives. On top of the refrigerator in the small basket; this is worse than yesterday." Chin darted down the stairs and was back with both the bottle and a glass of water. He helped Steve leverage Danny up and pry his arms away from his face as two pills were virtually forced down his throat with a substantial amount of water.

And though he couldn't tell if Danny yet heard him, Steve continued the quiet monotone mutterings. "Tara said to breathe slowly. Right? Breathe. Settle. Right?"

Steve spared Chin a few words when he saw the guilt and blame etched across his face. "Trust me. This is not your fault, Chin. It sneaks up .. he has to help himself out too and be patient. But he's refusing. None of us are catching it yet either. But Tara will be back tomorrow and she's going to tell him the same damned thing."

In silence, Steve let Danny sink back into the pillows as he kept a soothing hand on the sweat-soaked back. "Kono, get me a cold washcloth."

Together, the team worked to minimize the agonizing light and external sounds emanating from either inside or outside the house. Cell phones were turned off or changed to vibrate mode and no one spoke unless necessary. Fifteen minutes later, the sedatives began to kick in and Steve was able to finally peel Danny's hands away from his ears while Kono continued to bathe his face with the cool cloth.

Cautiously, Steve continued to repeat calming basic words until he felt Danny's breathing come under more control. But it took nearly thirty minutes for the violent shaking to ease and for Danny to truly make sense of what Steve was softly saying. "Concentrate on breathing. It's quiet. So just breathe like Tara said."

Almost forty-five minutes later, Danny seemed to fully calm down. "Better?" Steve barely mouthed the words as Danny's pained eyes opened and he successfully nodded in agreement. The room was once again darkened and only very faintest of sounds were reaching his traumatized senses.

"Normal." Danny breathed out on a shuddering exhale as he began to fight the effects of the sedative. "She said … this was .. normal."

In annoyance, Danny groaned and rubbed his face as he tried to struggle into a seated position and clear his foggy brain. But his body refused to obey him as he was easily pushed back down by Steve's hand. "What did you give me? Sedatives?"

Steve closed his eyes sadly as he heaved in a deep breath of his own and rubbed Danny's cold hands. Tara had prescribed sedatives over a week ago should Danny ever need them and now Steve was glad for the necessary intervention.

Angry and now completely unable to hide it, Steve kept his hand on Danny's chest. "No, D. You're over-doing it. She said to take it _easy_. Recognize the triggers and then breathe slowly. Find a quiet place before things like this happened. But definitely go slow and damn it Danny .. you're not!"

Steve was severely reprimanding him now, and he needed to make himself perfectly clear before Danny's eyes drifted shut. With a final warning, Steve gave him a firm shake eliciting a tiny ghosted smile across the exhausted face. But that too faded when Danny heard how very upset Steve was and then bleakly saw Chin's worried and still very guilty attitude.

"This is the _**last** _time. You can't take these risks, Danny. Seriously, it's only the _second_ day. Why didn't you say something?"

Kono paced briefly behind her cousin with an equally worried posture. Her eyes were glassy as she studied his drawn face which was almost as white as the sheets he was wrapped in. The physical reaction to the sensory overload was frightening and Kono could understand why Steve had looked so very tired earlier in the day. Joining in on Steve's wrath, she poked a finger in his direction just as his eyes began to close. "We're the reinforcements, brah. Trust me. You're in for it now."

But Danny's expression clearly proved that the message had been received and he mumbled out a short apology before falling into a deep sleep. If he had to explain himself though, Danny wasn't entirely sure of the triggers either. Other than a strong sense of fatigue, he was also hard-pressed to to act faster to protect himself. Exhaustion had rocked him in the car on the way back to Steve's. Within a few minutes of that feeling, he'd been unable to concentrate as the sounds of traffic and Chin's voice rushed in to attack him as a united mass of sheer overwhelming noise. And when the ambulance had flown past the car, the flashing lights and screaming sirens had unexpectedly taken his breath away.

His body had simply reacted to fold in on itself in a lost attempt to escape the onslaught of bright lights and pounding relentless sounds. The last thing he feebly remembered was slamming his hands over his ears as he fought the bile rising up in his throat. So now, he murmured a simple "_sorry_" to his worried team but his mouth wouldn't force out what he really wanted to say, which was "_I didn't know either. It just happened." _Instead his mind was working overtime as the sedatives kicked in and he was almost frightened of what was happening.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	22. Chapter 22

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: final news was excellent this week – surgery was a success and pathology was negative for bad things. THANK YOU all for the ongoing prayers. You are all the very very best! OH, and I've been told that I've "pulled a Danny" in the last two days since getting good news by doing too much and not resting. What can I say?! ;-)**

**For this chapter – it took some time to make me smile. The muse writes until it's satisfied and/or smiles. I hope you all like it too! Continued and forever thanks to CinderH and her fantastic support to keep me on track! and for beta on probably the longest chapters ever.**

**Again -not a doctor - just doing lots of research and making what hopefully are reasonable adjustments to support this story.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 22**

"No, the question is do I call Tara now or do we wait until tomorrow. Hathaway's our only other option while Tara's out of town." Steve quietly argued against Chin's continued requests to take Danny to Tripler.

The three had finally left Danny sleeping in the small spare bedroom and were convening downstairs. While Kono was obviously upset by seeing Danny so emotionally exhausted, Chin was more than frazzled by what had happened beginning in the car. He had been talking to Danny about the new case and as a way to distract him when he'd noticed the uneasy distracted gaze and change in breathing. He had driven with his left hand while his right hand had found Danny's shoulder in a vain attempt to help focus him. And it had worked until the ambulance had roared up behind them. Chin had tried to avoid the vehicle by pulling as far to the right as possible and coming nearly to a halt. But Danny had lurched away and pillowed his face in his hands. And by the time Chin had gotten them both back to Steve's house, the slightest of sounds had fully unraveled Danny. Unable to sit still now, Chin was pacing the floor in agitation while Steve put on another pot of coffee.

"Then I say call her." Chin demanded as his idea to take Danny to TAMC emergency room to see Doctor Ramirez was shot down for a second time and he did a double-take at Neil Hathaway's name. He made a face at that and then opted for Steve's former suggestion.

"Fine, okay, then if Tara will or can take a call .. interrupt the conference.. call her now."

He ran one hand through his hair while he glanced needlessly upstairs. He shook his head in disbelief as he pulled the small bottle out of his shirt pocket. With a disgusted look, Chin tossed the prescription medicine to Steve and watched as it once again was safely placed in the basket on top of the refrigerator. "Sedatives? Really? I didn't think recovery would be so … stressful."

"It's not going to happen overnight." Steve muttered bleakly as he collapsed into the sofa and closed his eyes for a moment. Referring to Tara, he threw his own hands up in the air.

"And if I call her now, what can she do? She'll be back tomorrow afternoon or sometime early in the evening. Besides, Danny's going to sleep for the rest of the day .. and maybe even the entire night."

The three sat together in silence until Steve pulled himself to his feet to serve them all coffee. With some hesitation, he filled them in on Tara's original warnings about a partial recovery. Fearful that was in the process of occurring, Steve felt he needed to describe everything Tara had said about long term conditions .. where the patient didn't actually get better.

And in less than forty eight hours, the stirrings of this new worry had begun to creep more and more into his thoughts and he angrily failed at pushing it away now as he spoke to Chin and Kono. "_Practice what you preach. Calm down. It's only been two days!_" But …Steve lost the battle as it weighed much too heavily on his mind. _If Danny couldn't cope with a siren, what would happen on the job_?

He had to bite his tongue to not blurt that out and with a deep breath, Steve just started at the beginning. "You know we stopped calling this a concussion a long time ago. It's a traumatic brain injury .. and the deafness was a direct side effect."

Steve held his hands up for them to calm down because he was already scaring them and didn't mean to as Kono's eyes widened in alarm and Chin coughed uncomfortably. "Danny's healing. He's healing exactly the way Tara Desai described. But .. she also said that anyone regaining their hearing will have particular … _challenges_."

"You already told us about the overload issues. We just saw that." Kono worriedly acknowledged that obvious understanding. "Is there more?"

"Yeah." Steve admitted. "There's possibly more to Danny's recovery that you need to know about." Carefully, Steve explained what Tara had warned him about in case what they were witnessing was the best Danny would ever be. With what had happened in two very short days, he needed their help and felt justified in revealing all of Tara's information and methodology. Steve had become nervous and Chin especially had experienced a terrifying episode … they all deserved to know what might happen.

"She told me so that he wouldn't set himself up and create an obsessive or depressing scenario. She doesn't want him to imagine things or try too hard."

Chin and Kono listened in rapt attention as Steve explained the side effects of overcoming hearing loss which was to be considered a long term sensory deprivation. He was subdued as he reluctantly told them about what he feared was a real potential for just a partial recovery.

"Think about profiling and the victim … deprivation impacts and what happens when that deprivation is lifted. Part of what's going on is just like that."

Chin made a face as he compared his police work experiences to what Danny must be going through. "And Danny was deafened for almost a full month. So it's more significant. Sounds of any kind are just flooding his system and he can't always control it?"

Steve nodded and then reminded them of the one differing key fact. It was how Tara had described what could happen to him and he even surprised himself as he related what she said almost word for word. "But this deprivation is from a brain injury .. not a man-made artificial environment. His brain has to relearn how to filter sounds as part of the healing process and when he gets tired …the trauma is similar but the brain injury could complicate recovery."

Steve stuttered and looked away in frustration. "especially when Danny gets _**tired**_ for example .. he can't do it yet. His brain isn't entirely healed and he has to relearn how to do it. Since he can't … we have what happened this afternoon."

The explanation made them feel better and Kono considered the information but some of it she already knew, so she was on guard for why Steve was rehashing it. "So, more time. More patience? We can do that. But what are you so very worried about, Steve?"

Swallowing hard, Steve finally added the nagging and troubling portion of information. It was the new niggling piece that had started to rear its ugly head over the weekend. _What if Danny didn't fully recover? What if gunfire or any loud noise initiated a breakdown? What if Tara was wrong and he didn't heal?_

"Tara believes that … yes. He only needs time and that his brain will continue to heal. But she also mentioned that some people don't ever full heal. She has names for the various conditions. She asked me to watch out for certain things just in case. And I thought that I didn't see them .. I thought he was fine .. but now."

Steve sighed wearily as the doubt crept into his voice. The weekend had started so well and so very promising. But then had deteriorated badly and Steve wasn't entirely sure anymore as he second guessed his ability to properly understand what had happened. "If he can't relearn how to filter sets of sounds out from background noises … then I don't know what it means for … _things_." His voice trailed off as he thought again of what he refused to voice out loud but watching their expressions, Steve saw that they understood his train of thought.

Chin drew in a harsh breath as he realized the ramifications for not only the job Danny loved so much, but also for any quality of life. Steve cringed inwardly as Chin stated everything he'd been dwelling on since Danny had come back from the Edwards' house.

"You're saying this could be a permanent condition? That what we see is it? "The sad look on Steve's face said _yes_ and Chin began to pace again. "But that would affect everything in his life. From Five-0 to Grace and his rights as a father and the custody issues with Rachel, and then to simple day to day living."

"And we can't tell him. _Yet_." Steve cautioned each of them. "Tara said that of all the different things right now, we can't tell him any of this She doesn't want to accidentally create what she called an "invalid" … or maybe she said "false" … psychological scenario. In other words, Danny could essentially talk himself into a condition."

Kono grimaced and then adamantly reminded them all of the good news from the weekend. "It's been just two days. _**Barely**_. And you said that Tara feels Danny will recover and not have this permanent condition. She's a good doctor and she's doing her job by being thorough. She's careful and I trust her."

She studied Steve's weary face and almost defeated posture. Her chuckle was wry as she sat down next to him. "Boss, you're doing exactly what she was afraid Danny would do! You're even jumpy." Kono laughed lightly as Steve winced at the sounds of a dog barking next door.

Steve snorted in denial but wound up almost immediately raising his eyebrows comically as he realized Kono was right. To prove her point, she slammed her ceramic coffee cup noisily on the end table and Steve almost rocketed off the sofa with a barely muffled hiss.

"Not smart." Steve grabbed her hand when she tried to pick her mug up again. In two days Danny was getting better, but Steve was spooked at every possible errant noise. "And not necessary. I get it."

He was looking for trouble where there might not be any. _Obsessing_. And many aspects of the weekend had been excellent and he shouldn't let some of the negative things over-shadow them. He was obsessing and very likely over-reacting. Her view of the truth made him relax slightly as he listened to his youngest and obviously much more centered friend and employee.

"Let's wait for her to come back tomorrow. Let Danny rest .. and Steve, you too. It's hard to be objective when you're just as worried, exhausted and now you're looking for things. You have too much information and not enough of the details. He started both days so well .. and Tara's been right each step of the way."

Chin added his own understanding sound in the background and Kono glared at him until she realized that she also had his approval. As she leaned into the deep cushions of the sofa, she added off-handedly, "So, we watch what we say and take it from there."

The giggle started out of nowhere and it escalated to a near hysterical bout of laughter. Steve's brain wrapped around her last words and twirled them in his head. It summed up everything Danny had been doing since the accident .. .since the time on the beach and during the storm when they were stranded. and when Steve realized that Danny was watching his lips. Before he knew that the blast had deafened him.

And now the tide had turned and they all had to watch what they each said in order to give Danny the best options for a full and complete recovery. It made him laugh in a silly uncontrollable way and now he couldn't stop. It went on for so long, that it began to scare Kono and even Chin slowly got to his feet in concern.

"Sorry." Steve choked out as he tried to get himself under control and wiped the streaming tears from his face as an occasional giggle still made its way out of his chest. "I don't know why that happened. It's not funny."

But the choking and intermittent laughter was still on the surface. Clearing his throat, Steve tried to sip his coffee and then nearly gagged on the hot liquid. "How did you get so smart, Kono?"

"Bed." Kono slammed her mug down for a second time and rolled her eyes in frustration as a shudder ran through Steve's body. She found herself pointing threateningly towards the direction of his upstairs bedroom. "That's it. I'm done. We're staying .. or at least I'm staying."

"Yeah, I agree." Chin was still standing in front of Steve where he sat slouched into the deep sofa with sporadic chuckling sounds coming out of his chest. "We're staying while you get some decent rest."

Hauling Steve to his feet, Kono didn't waste any time pushing him in the direction of the stairs. And when she felt him begin to resist, she cut him off before he could say a single word. "Seriously. There's nothing you can say at this point. Don't even try."

But halfway of the stairs, he hesitated to look at both cousins. Kono was standing in a silent fury with both hands on her hips as if daring him to either come back down or utter a single argumentative word. Chin had a funny expression on his face that communicated a plea for Steve to listen to Kono.

"We got this brah." Chin whispered. "We do. And like you said, Tara will be home tomorrow."

"Fine." Steve muttered to himself. But then he couldn't help adding, "Wake me if something comes up." He was already walking back up the stairs and missed Kono's very irritated reaction. Flinging her arms out wide, she glared at his back until she lost sight of him and then turned to stare at Chin.

"Does he really think we would wake him at this point?"

"Hey." Chin stated with a small grin and he put both his hands up in mock surrender. "You're running this show cuz."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Chin's call reached Tara Desai at a perfect time. After a brief discussion with Kono and ensuring that Steve was sleeping, Chin found Danny's cell phone and pulled up the doctor's contact information. With an urgent appeal to her service, they contacted the hotel on Chin's behalf and tracked Tara down while he remained on hold.

It was the first mid-afternoon break in the conference and she'd just completed her second agenda topic to a very captivated audience. Coffee and small pastries were being served in the back of the hotel's conference room when the hotel's business manager politely pulled her aside.

"There's an urgent call for you .. a Chin Ho Kelly about one of your current patients? From some organization called Five-0. Is this something you'd like to be interrupted for?" Tara nodded quickly as she excused herself from the clutches of an over-eager conference attendee that had traveled in from St. Louis. Chin's name made her draw her breath in sharply as she immediately became apprehensive. She was anxious about not hearing from Steve as she took Chin's call in the manager's small office. But she settled her breathing as she listened to Chin's concerned account of the afternoon's events and was told that Steve was merely resting.

"You're a good friend." Tara said quietly as she took mental notes. She hadn't spent much time with Chin, in fact she wasn't sure she had actually met him yet in person. But she was impressed by the team's desire to help.

"Sedatives?" Tara coughed through the coffee she had inhaled completely wrong as Chin let her know how severe Danny's overwhelming feelings had become that day. She had prescribed them but didn't actually think Danny would need them. And then she became angered when he described how it had happened.

"He should sleep a good deal of hours after two. And I'll be back early tomorrow morning … I changed my flight to a red-eye. I'll call as soon as I land." There was an audible sigh of relief that made Tara smile.

"But what do we do?" Chin persisted. "Is he … having a set-back? Is what we saw an indicator for one of those conditions you told Steve about?"

"Danny is not listening to me." Tara bluntly replied as she waved off the conference hostess in annoyance. She had been given a five minute warning, but the show would just have to wait for her to be ready.

"Before I left, I distinctly told him how to manage this … it boils down to baby steps. And since he's not listening, I need your help to intervene."

Chin put the phone on speaker while he and Kono moved out to the lanai. "How? What do we do?"

Tara's smiled deepened as she realized that another team member was listening .. likely Kono Kalakaua. And now she couldn't wait to get home … she planned on giving Danny a piece of her mind about once again not paying attention to valid medical advice. And her discussion with Kono and Chin did not violate doctor-patient confidentiality; the participation of close family and friends were the ideal coping mechanisms.

"Baby steps mean just that. A few hours on the beach. And then that's it for the day. Small doses of one particular environment. Not two or three or four different environments filled with a ton of stimuli in just a few hours." Tara couldn't hide the disapproval in her voice after hearing about Danny's much too intensive day.

What Tara described sounded so easy, Chin couldn't help the disgusted grimace he aimed at Kono. When Tara continued speaking, Kono almost laughed because it made so much logical sense. But getting Danny to do it would be a problem much like it was that very afternoon.

"Moving today from your breakfast gathering to a walk on the beach. Follow that up with a stressful car ride to his ex-wife's house … another long conversation … by the time Danny was exposed to the second car ride he was already overloaded. Fatigue compounded his body's inability to cope. And we're due for another MRI to ensure the second contusion is dispersing." Her aggravation with Danny as her patient rang through the small speaker.

Kono interrupted before Chin could confirm next steps and Tara nodded on her side of the phone. "So, it's not that hard .. and even if he feels good, it's keeping things to one strict and successful exposure at a time."

"Yup." Tara agreed. "And since he had trouble with the blender during breakfast .. that exposure with all of you was not entirely successful. But since he recovered fairly quickly, maybe a walk on the beach would have been the best stopping point. But, again here he almost couldn't cope with the sounds of the jet skies. He was becoming fatigued and trust me, Danny knew that but continued to push. So regardless of his argument about wanting to drive his daughter home .. and I know how he must have argued … _**intervene**_."

"And his temper .. he lost his temper in the morning." Chin reminded them all quietly. "As if he was embarrassed by his reaction to the sounds from the coffee machine brewing."

"Small things add up." Tara advised them. "And like anyone, he wants too much .. too soon. And now that we are all on the same page … I think we got this." The confidence in her voice did much to completely relax Chin to the point where he finally sat down from the frenetic pacing.

"One more thing though." Tara's voice changed fractionally as she decided to offer one more cautionary word. "If he sees what happened today as a failure, he will be afraid to experience and regain control of situations. He may doubt his ability to recover." She almost cursed on the phone as she realized the new possibility. Holding back information about conditional healing was one thing, but creating an exhausting breakdown by pushing too hard was equally demoralizing. That could be harder to manage and this did worry Tara as a doctor.

"Oh." Kono breathed out. "And the sedatives ... the way he fell apart." The conversation ebbed for a moment as they all considered that possibility. Tara was getting to know him more and more. She already could see Danny feeling as if what happened that day was a failure. The fact that he pushed himself too hard and caused both a physical and mental state of exhaustion would be irrelevant to him.

"Let's discuss this tomorrow." Tara quietly started the conversation again as the conference hostess once again poked his head around the corner and this time tapped his watch meaningfully. "But you need to know that I told him to take it slow .. about taking baby steps and conquering one environment at a time. Regaining a comfort level. But agreeing and _**doing** _are two totally different things. He will recover quickly and in the best way possible with all of your help."

Tara kindly offered them a few more words before ending the call. "I'm so glad you called me. Don't be afraid of following your instincts … as a team and police officers to boot, you are all prepared better than most people. Be patient, be supportive … but by all means, follow your instincts and intervene!"

Kono laughed as Chin pointed his finger at Tara's voice coming out of the cell phone. The smile on his face was genuine. "That, we can do!"

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	23. Chapter 23

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: one of my nephews is a Doctor/Major in the Army. So some info is from him and some other bits is from various Corps paperwork. Some of this information has been modified to fit – but mostly it is very correct.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 23**

Tara sat on the plane slouched down in her seat and with her eyes closed as they approached Honolulu International Airport. Before leaving the hotel, she had changed into her faded jeans and a red t-shirt dressed up with a fancy scarf and lightweight sweater. She was also barefoot in an older pair of running sneakers. To an outsider she looked as if she were sleeping contentedly, but the truth was far from that. She hadn't slept since receiving the special overnight package just before departing the seminar. It had been delayed and arrived to her late with the hotel manager practically chasing her down across the lobby as she called for a taxi.

She had opened the envelope in the back seat of the cab and her heart had simultaneously soared and then plummeted. The official letter was now crumpled in her hand and looked well worn. Reading and rereading it as the miles flew by, she had memorized the words by heart. It was what she had always wanted in terms of her medical career, but now she was confused and completely torn since the ramifications were enormous.

And the closer she got home to Honoulu, to her office at TAMC, Doctor Ramirez, and to Danny, the more the lump in her throat began to feel as if it might possibly choke her. She would now have only ten days to make a drastic decision about her professional future. A month ago she wouldn't have needed that time at all. But today was a different story as she mulled over the offer again and again in her mind. She started in surprise when the announcement to prepare for landing interrupted her churning thoughts and Tara blearily opened her eyes to blink away tears that were once more on the surface.

With her forehead resting against the panes of the airplane window, she blindly watched the Pacific Ocean approach and realized blandly that the day was going to be beautiful as the morning sun peaked on the horizon.

After landing and with a heart that became heavier with every step, she gathered her things and went to her car which she had left in long-term parking. She sat quietly to collect her thoughts and then sent a quick text message to Danny.

"_**Hey, I'm back! I'd like to see u!**_"

She was happily surprised when Danny's reply came before she had even left the lot. It was early; only 6 a.m. but he was already up and evidently anxious to see her too.

"_**Early! How about now?**_" An address followed on the heels of the text and she punched it into her GPS. With a side trip to the coffee shop and bakery, Tara could be there within thirty minutes and she had the whole day.

She couldn't hide her small grin as she sent back a short reply, "_**C U in 30.**_" With distinct effort, she tabled her anxiety-ridden decision for another time .. for another day. Her first priority would be getting to the bottom of Danny's intensive weekend.

"Later." She mumbled to herself as she whipped her hair into a sloppy pony tail with a spare rubber band that she'd dug out of her car's center console. "Definitely later."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Assuming that wherever Danny was the rest of the team might be, Tara splurged at the bakery. Two large bags of malasadas, coco puffs and pastries weighed both hands down as she returned to her car. But a sharp ping indicated another text message had come in and she hastily stowed them on the back seat in order to check her phone.

"_**Others r sleeping. Come round back. Meet on beach.**_" A quick "_OK_" and she was on her way to Steve's house; parking quietly on the road and walking around the side of the house to leave her breakfast offerings on the lanai. The house was peaceful and rambling; it felt comfortable and she appreciated the shady tree lined property which opened unexpectedly to a large expanse of private beach.

In the distance, she could see Danny's silhouette down by the shoreline. Hands stuffed deeply in his pockets as he slowly wandered a short distance away. And since it was a Monday morning, he was virtually the only one enjoying the early morning sun.

Kicking her sneakers off and shedding the now too hot sweater, Tara jogged down barefoot through the sand and he turned just as she got within a few feet of him. Danny immediately laughed when he saw the faded jeans and very casual t-shirt. The scarf was dressy but her hair was already coming out of the rubber banded ponytail. The doctor he had only seen in an office setting now looked like a carefree college kid and he grinned in total approval.

"I like this side of Doctor Desai." Danny said happily as she gave him a quick hug which he returned with enthusiasm. Refusing then to let her go as he wrapped both his arms around her waist. Her feet got wet as a small wave rushed in and then soaked the first few inches of her jeans. But she laughed at the coolness of the water which brought her back down to earth.

"You came back early. How was the conference?" The relief in his eyes was evident and Tara totally forgot about her pending decision.

_Just like him_, Tara thought as she tried to covertly get a handle on his mood and overall health. "It was excellent, but I wanted to see how you were doing. So I changed to the red eye."

Danny rolled his eyes in mock frustration as she wiggled out of his grip and then held him at arm's length. "So? How do I look Doc?"

Tara frowned and then shook her head in true dismay. "You look tired and pale. _Tired_ and much too thin, still. But you at least seem to be in a good mood." She couldn't help clucking unhappily at the wan face and wondering if he'd fought the sedatives. "Did you sleep enough last night?"

Before he could reply, a near frantic shout of Danny's name echoed down to them from the house and they both quickly looked up. Tara found herself grinning as she logged Danny's successful reaction to Steve's voice. She couldn't wait to get him into the office for a real hearing test and another MRI to compare against the original baseline. But he was definitely very tired and she didn't like the thought that he hadn't truly rested.

"Here comes the infamous Doc McGarrett now." Danny grumbled as Steve shouted his name for a second time and hesitated in confusion on the lanai. It was obvious that he didn't recognize Tara from a distance and had also now seen the discarded sneakers, sweater and bakery bags. But things weren't adding up for him and Steve was worried as he quickly strode out to confront them on the beach.

His anxious posture and annoyed attitude eventually changed when he realized that Tara was with Danny. His pace slowed and a relieved smile stretched across his face as he welcomed her back from the business trip. But he couldn't help reprimanding the wayward convalescent.

"You've _got_ to stop doing that … how did you sneak past me and Kono?" Steve ran his hand through his sleep-mussed hair. Kono was in the shower and Steve had woken to find Danny's bed empty. Cracking the door open to the bathroom, he'd yelled over the sounds of running water to Kono. But she had assumed Danny was still sleeping and hadn't actually checked his bedroom. Kono's voice was alarmed as she hurriedly ended her shower. She didn't know where Chin was and as Steve slammed the door shut, the water was being turned off while she threw clothes on her damp body. Steve had then spent many frantic moments checking each room in the house before spying the two figures down by the waters' edge.

"How do you feel?" He asked worriedly as he logged the pale complexion. "Why are you out here?"

"I'm fine. And I didn't _sneak_. I went for a walk." Danny had woken hours earlier and had remained in bed dwelling on staying there .. safely hidden under the blankets with a pillow over his head. Even with the sedatives, his night had been filled with anxious dreams where he was once again deafened. The most upsetting dream had woken everyone towards morning with Danny insisting that he needed to save Grace from some undefined danger.

The sedatives had caused him to be in a dream-like waking state and it had taken a long time for Chin and Steve to convince Danny that Grace was safe. But he couldn't hear her voice in his dreams. He could only watch her lips screaming "_Danno_!" over and over again before she disappeared. And then they had to convince him that he was safe and no one on the team was in any danger. Unable to hear, he'd watched each member of his team slip away into a swirling black storm cloud. And once again, all he could see were their lips moving .. each one calling out his name in a silent agony.

He had finally fallen back asleep comforted by their physical presence and he had stayed that way peacefully enough for the remainder of the night. But when he woke more fully towards dawn, Danny vaguely remembered splintered parts of the dark dreams. Unsettled and jittery with the muddled memories, he was at first angry with Steve for forcing the sedatives on him the day before. But also angry with himself for causing it to happen in the first place. And he did doubt his ability to get through the new day before even putting one foot on the floor.

So Danny had hesitated on getting up in fear of the distant noises he could hear again from the loud gulls to the crashing waves. It had taken him some time to stumble to his feet and gather his courage to even go downstairs. But then Kono had been sleeping on the couch and he'd been uncomfortable loitering and accidentally waking her so early. With some trepidation, Danny had eased the doors open to the lanai and with cell phone in hand had sat quietly very near the door in a lounge chair. Dawn was now rising in earnest and he'd worked easily at calming his breathing and just listening to the simple waking sounds of the day.

When he had received Tara's first unexpected text message. It had bolstered him, given him more confidence, and he'd slowly walked down to the waters' edge to await her arrival. And a Monday morning was nothing like a busy weekend so up until that point, Danny was relieved that he had no issue with calmly acclimating to what was currently reaching his ears.

"Say hello to Tara like a human. She came home early." Danny's arm had strayed comfortably around Tara's waist and Steve huffed out a resigned sigh. Glaring once more at Danny for the unnecessary scare, Steve couldn't help running his hand again through his short hair. His reaction easy enough for Tara to read in between the lines; something had occurred after Chin's phone call.

"_**We**_ are very glad to have you back Tara. Trust me, you have no idea how glad."

"No, I bet I do." Her easy statement made Danny do a double-take between her and Steve and he grimaced uneasily.

"What does that mean?" He asked a bit more irritably than he intended. And Tara wasn't once to mince words as she began to guide him back to the lanai, with Steve falling in step next to her.

"It _means_ that I already know what's been going on thanks to Chin. And we have a lot to talk about. And this time, you are going to listen to me buster."

Chin had actually left the house minutes before Danny had made the decision to wander from the bedroom. He had the same goal as Tara to bring breakfast back for everyone. So now the table on the lanai overflowed with a varied selection of breads, pastries and donuts. The team welcomed Tara as she settled herself comfortably. And then over breakfast, Tara's displeased lecture was soft but firm. It lasted almost the entire time leaving Danny's team smiling happily as he was made to listen to his doctor's subdued wrath. Her final words reprimanded him for simply trying too hard .. the ongoing theme of his very nature.

But as he watched Tara's beautiful face, Danny was amazed by her ability to be both his best friend and then the very formal, caustic doctor that was in the process of handing his very head to him on an ornate silver platter.

"Well?" Tara demanded as she stared blatantly at Danny's face. He'd begun to sweat and his hand trembled while he sipped his coffee. She picked up immediately on the subtle queues he was giving off as the morning stretched on. And as distant distractions became more obvious, she nodded her head and took up his hand.

His confused and distracted '_**what'**_? had her rising to her feet and motioning to Steve. "Case in point, Danny."

Danny had admitted to being up since 5 a.m. and it was now approaching 11 a.m. After a rough night, he was becoming fatigued and failing to manage certain sounds. Tara had covertly been indicating to Danny's team the subtle changes in his posture and demeanor. The slight tremble in a hand, changes in breathing, and the jittery reaction to a sudden noise which at that moment in time was a thundering motorcycle cruising by Steve's house.

"Time for a break." Tara whispered gently as Steve intervened to practically force Danny into the house.

"I'm fine, what are you talking about?" His almost angry tirade had her raise her eyebrows in warning with an authoritative hand held high. Irritation was another hint of a pending problem and even Danny finally realized it as her hand stayed his rising voice.

"You promised that you would listen. Starting now, I'm calling you on that promise." Tara was still talking softly but was just as defiant as she followed Steve and Danny into the house. Chin and Kono exchanged amused looks as they listened to Danny and Tara argue about his needs. But there was no doubt that the comely doctor was going to win regardless of Danny's loudly voiced objections.

"Two choices. Sit quietly down here or go to the spare bedroom … your body is talking to you .. listen to it, Danny." From her perspective, his body was practically screaming for a break. Tara's expression dared him to contradict her assessment as she rattled off her observations and he couldn't deny any one of them as he spilled the remnants of his coffee when her cell phone trilled unexpectedly with an incoming call. The loud sound jolted nerves that were becoming frayed.

"Don't you have to get that?" Danny mumbled disgustedly in an attempt to change the subject and escape her much too perceptive opinions. "Isn't that your cell phone Tara? It could be important."

Steve chuckled as he kept Danny moving forward. "Nice try D." He whispered softly. "But let's go, we're going to do this."

She was smiling with her hands on her hips but for all intensive purposes was simply staring him down. "Could be. Don't care. And that's why God made voicemail." She was arrogant and demanding as she softly but persistently pushed him into the house.

"I want you to take a break, Danny. At least one hour. Settle and relax. Then we'll compare notes to how you feel compared to what happened yesterday."

Please, Danno. It's just an hour." Steve's soft plea caused him to hesitate before voicing one final objection and Danny frowned unhappily since he felt in control. He felt like he could deal with the subtle tremble in his hands but then he felt the sweat pooling on his neck and unconsciously winced when Tara's phone rang a second time. And then he heard the exasperated concern in Steve's own voice. Without another word, Danny finally complied as he allowed Steve to settle him down in the darkened room. Part of him felt foolish, even childish, and he resented the ridiculous demands that Tara was making.

Danny watched as Steve needlessly fixed the already drawn blinds. It was as if Steve was afraid to look at him. His profile had remained tense and stoic the entire time Tara had spoken and dictated instructions.

"Thanks." Danny found himself mumbling before Steve left. The one word caused Steve to linger and eventually sit on the side of the bed. "I messed up yesterday. Big time. So, thank you." It was the closest Danny could get to admitting that he'd needed the sedatives.

"You did mess up." Steve added in a rough whisper. "But Tara's back and we all have a lot to learn." He finally looked at Danny and offered him a small grin. "One hour. Let's give it a try."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Besides Doctor Ramirez, Tara now worried about what Danny would say .. what he might think and how it would put an utter and complete end to their budding relationship. With the magnitude of the decision rambling through her brain, she was currently waiting for Steve to finish reading the letter she had received from the Army Medical Corps. Always so very independent, Tara's life was in an upheaval. The calls she'd just gotten while pushing Danny to rest were from her father. She'd left him a hasty voicemail about the package and impressive offer she'd received from the Corps. And he was so excited for her, that he'd barely been able to leave a lucid message.

Tara had blurted the news out about the letter shortly after Chin and Kono had left the house. Danny fell asleep within minutes of Steve closing the door for the hour respite. And the entire team was more comfortable now with her arrival and professional assurances that Danny would completely recover. So the cousins had left shortly after to open the Five-0 offices and review the thumb drive full of data received from Duke Lukela regarding the dockside murder. Steve intended to visit with Tara for the remainder of the day.

While pouring more coffee, Steve had blithely asked about the conference and she simply couldn't stop herself from digging the letter out of her bag. While he quietly read the offer, she'd listened to her father's voicemail. "_Of course you're accepting? You'd be a lunatic not to, Tara!_"

With mixed emotions, she stayed quiet as Steve finished reading. "Geez." He whispered with nothing but admiration in his eyes. "They're jumping you from First Lieutenant to Major with a 9B status?" He had a vague familiarity with the levels of Army officer status but with letter 'A" being the highest attainable, a 'B' ranking would no doubt be a prodigious placement.

Steve watched her face change as she sat in front of him with her legs pulled up to her chest on one of his deck chairs. She was anxious for the opinion of someone nearer her own age and with similar deployment experience but she had tears in her eyes. But Steve couldn't yet tell if she appreciated his comments or if he'd just made it worse.

"I guess I'm a lunatic." She whispered her father's word as she took the letter back from Steve and folded it up neatly. She sighed as she tucked it back into her travel bag. "What do I do?"

Steve exhaled in surprise at the very frank question. Gone was the confident demeanor of the professional doctor with years of experience; it was replaced now with an insecurity and sense of confusion. And the opportunity was so immense, Steve could understand the overwhelming and very conflicted feelings. It wasn't hard for him to guess that both Danny and her role at TAMC held particular value too.

But he echoed what her father had suggested just a few minutes earlier in his voicemail. "I know it's a three year commitment. But Tara .. you need to do this." Steve began softly.

And Tara interjected another con to acceptance. "A three year commitment. _**And**_ the strong potential for another redeployment plus my work may be mostly administrative."

"Yeah but Tara .. in your field, an audiologist of your caliber is not a dime a dozen. They want _you_. This really isn't something that you can afford to decline. And this puts you on a fast-track for Lieutenant Colonel." He didn't really know what else to say after that. They were both career military. She was obviously upset and yet he knew that she would regret it for the rest of her life if she walked away.

"You have to take it." Steve said gently. "It's a chance of a life-time." And Tara nodded sadly as she rested her forehead on her knees.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	24. Chapter 24

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: the summary confesses to shameless whump. I offer no apologies - though it's not _THAT_ bad since Danny is getting better! But it is whump nonetheless. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter 24**

"Just like that? You're going to walk out on me?" Tara had just told Doctor Ramirez about the Army Medical Corps offer. He had read the letter in front of her just a few minutes ago; becoming unexpectedly more glum and unhappy as he got to its very complimentary ending.

Looking at her now, he was speechless as he lurched to his feet and pushed her guest chair back with a loud screech. The letter fluttered back down to her desk with a careless toss and Tara's eyes widened in stunned surprise. With effort, he found his voice as he loomed over her.

"I hope you think about this long and hard." Ramirez remarked icily. He was upset and angry after lobbying to get her at TAMC. And she had only been there just shy of two months time. Besides, she was not wholly interested in a military medical career in his opinion. Her life's blood and value as a medical doctor was working directly with patients as a professional physician. Not behind some desk pushing paper and giving the occasional lecture. A six month deployment followed by stateside base duty at an Army hospital pushing papers – doing administrative work? For three years and just because she would be fast-tracked for a fancy officer's title? No, Doctor Ramirez was definitely unimpressed by her announcement.

So it was Tara's turn to be speechless as her esteemed mentor and friend turned on his heels and his voice rose harshly. A nurse passing by the office blanched as she heard the angry voice and gave the open doorway a wide berth. "This job is not you. Don't lose three years of your soul to find out the hard way."

Tara visibly winced as Ramirez slammed her own office door on his way out. Barreling down the hallway in a rage, he didn't notice Danny or Steve stumble in opposite directions to make way for his imposing form.

"I guess she told him." Danny said as another office door slammed behind them in the distance. "And it certainly doesn't look like he took it well."

Steve huffed in confusion. "No. That's not the reaction I expected from him." He admitted it as they made their way to Tara's office. It was Thursday afternoon. Just three days after she'd returned early from the L.A. conference. Danny had already made significant strides in conquering segregated environments and was at TAMC for his first official hearing test and follow-up MRI.

Tara had shown Danny the letter during a quiet solitary moment on Steve's lanai just the evening before. There would never be a good time and her time was slowly ticking by as the final date of her decision neared. They were curled up together sharing the same lounge chair watching the sunset and though she was upset about his reaction, part of her brain was distinctly pleased when Danny never paused in reading her letter while two jet skis roared past. They were bouncing across the breakers and he never looked up .. he never one noticed as he sighed and folded the document.

"_When do you leave?_" There had been no preamble, just an assumption and a ready acceptance that any rational person would naturally accept the phenomenal offer.

He had been genuinely surprised and secretly pleased when she admitted that she hadn't yet decided. "_What's to think about, Tara?_"

As she had guessed, he would support whatever decision she made but had grudgingly agreed with Steve's personal assessment. And then as he haltingly said the words, Tara could sense his melancholy. "_This might not ever happen again. It doesn't sound to me like something you would willingly pass up_."

Tara had been very comfortable resting along his left side with her head pillowed on his shoulder and his voice had rumbled pleasantly into her ear. "_It's not that easy._" She had said as they watched the sun begin to set in a series of glorious yellows and bright oranges.

"_And my medical career doesn't have to be in the military. I'm happy here at Tripler and there's always the Reserves. Plus another round of deployment is not exactly a picnic_."

He hadn't even tried to argue those things since they were all true; in fact, he'd nearly smiled since the Reserves seemed to be a universal stop gap for his growing circle of military friends. "_God bless the Reserves_", Danny thought to himself while he clammed up to allow Tara her desperate need to ramble.

She had gone on about the pay scale and prestige, neither of which were significantly important factors to her. The limited patient interaction seemed to be her biggest sticky point. "_And then the grade … sure it's a big jump but almost three quarters of my work will be administrative_."

"_That part I don't understand_." Danny had admitted. It sounded sneakily like '_management'_; like being thrown a desk job with a fancy title and being pulled off the streets where the heart of the action was. "_With your skills .. I don't understand why you'd be in a more administrative role_."

"_And I'd be virtually trapped for three years_." The time obligation had been her second biggest complaint. She knew that she sounded as if she were talking herself out of it; and maybe she had been. "_It's a long time._"

"_With significant payback though. You could go anywhere after this stint._" Tara had groaned dramatically since she knew he was right and then had tried to burrow more deeply into Danny's shoulder. But then she had pushed abruptly to her feet. She had needed to move in order to breathe; so she had hauled him up and started to drag him down to the sand.

"_Enough. My brain is tired. Let's go for a walk!_"

So now, as Ramirez stalked past them in the TAMC hallway, Danny threw up a silent pleased _hooray_ to whoever was listening. Tara valued Ramirez' opinion above all else and this could be a critical tipping point. Danny himself would never intentionally sabotage her decision but Ramirez had a vested interest in Tara as an employee and he obviously didn't want to lose her expertise.

Just last night, Danny had let her vent and then had given his honest opinion. And during their walk on the beach while they had watched the sunset, he had gently admitted that he certainly wouldn't object to her staying. That was as far as he dared go .. and it was fair. And in the end, Danny would support and live with whatever Tara finally decided.

Steve hung back as Danny opened the door to her office after a short knock and they both bit back amused grins as she stormed around her small office. "You okay?" Danny asked courageously. Her snipped reply of '_perfect'_ made him sigh and he glanced over to Steve with a knowing grimace. He then flinched as Tara slammed a file cabinet door shut before glancing apologetically at Danny.

"Do you want to talk about what just happened?" That gentle question stopped her briefly in her tracks and she blew a long tendril of hair off her reddened face. A scrunchy magically appeared in her hand as she severely twisted her hair back up into its tidy bun.

"Nope. I do not." The testy words made it clear that she wasn't going to discuss her meeting with Doctor Ramirez as she moodily readied Danny for the hearing test. "I'd rather talk about you right now."

Before asking Steve to stay in her office while she took Danny to the evaluation lab and sound booth, she asked about the car ride to TAMC. Danny had done well taking short environmental hits of the beach, Steve's house with increasing distractions like television, a loud radio, music, and other basic neighborhood sounds. Two to three hour blocks of time proved to be beneficial with a minimum one hour break. And the one hour time to decompress allowed Danny to actually experience more in a single day successfully versus what had happened over the weekend. So in almost three short days, his confidence had grown and his fatigue had lessened with marked improvements.

However, the drive that afternoon to TAMC was now the first since Chin's unfortunate escort to the Edward's home. Danny would have experienced a host of new stimuli that definitely couldn't be controlled as Steve drove past construction zones, changes in traffic patterns, pedestrian crossings and any multitude of other possible distractions.

"So? How was the trip over here?" Tara asked bluntly, still very much on edge from Ramirez's disgruntled visit. Steve was smiling happily as Danny relaxed and looked every bit as normal as could be in her guest chair.

The words of "_he's fine_" and "_I'm fine_" came out in two different but undoubtedly pleased voices and exactly at the same time. Their mutually annoyed stare at each other finally made her laugh out loud.

"I can speak for myself, Steven." Danny stated calmly as he folded his arms confidently across his chest. But his eyes were laughing as he restated the obvious and then pointed to Steve. "No problems at all and trust me with _**him**_ driving .. you would know by now if I had a problem."

Danny waited patiently as Tara scrutinized him closely. He had learned early on that she could just about read anyone and evading the truth was fruitless. She was unable to hide her smile behind a poor attempt at maintaining a severe professional frown. He was definitely untroubled and without a glimmer of sweat, unease or unconscious tremor.

"Good." She breathed out after silently assessing the truth behind his words. "So, we'll do a real hearing test, maybe another MRI and then straight home."

Both men nodded in agreement. _Home_ still meant Steve's house since it was predictable by that point. Danny's small, thin-walled city apartment would be the last major hurdle based on the very nature of its overwhelmingly loud and busy location. Tara was calling the shots on the environmental scenarios and she felt that he could get to his own place by the coming weekend. Successes were piling up quickly as long as Danny continued to listen and heed her warnings to take baby steps. After that, she saw no reason why he couldn't rejoin the task force within just a few more days.

Tara eventually calmed down as his testing progressed and she was smiling in satisfaction as he pulled the headset off his ears. He'd passed with flying colors and her happy grin had Danny's original worries drying up as he met her outside the small sound booth.

"It was good?" Danny said hopefully as he hesitantly smiled back. But she was now nodding emphatically and beginning to laugh.

"No, it was perfect. So I'm not sure you even need the MRI. Though I guess we should do one more just to validate that the contusions are completely dispersed. You are after all, my best case study and proof of TBI and blast case trauma recovery theory." Tara grinned happily back at him.

Danny pulled her up into a warm hug regardless of the fact that her technician was still present in the room resetting the equipment. "Oh, so now I'm a_ case study_? One fancy offer and I'm downgraded to a study in some text book?" Danny chuckled at the idea. "I guess I've been called worse. Are you going to trot me out at your next conference as an exhibit?"

"Now wouldn't that be fun?" Tara drawled as she snuck in a not so chaste kiss. "Exhibit A … hmm?" In a barely audible whisper that only Danny could hear, she whispered, "I may have to charge extra."

The two laughed and Tara covered her mouth as the technician whirled around in surprise and then waved them off to finish her work. The mumbled '_whatever'_ was said in a tolerant, cheerful voice and it followed them back down to Tara's office where Steve was waiting to hear the good news.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

The two left later that afternoon after the final MRI did confirm that the contusions were gone. They had healed completely and the test results were clean. With promises for a dinner later that night, Danny and Steve left TAMC in high spirits for _home_.

"Did Tara say anything about Doc Ramirez or her decision?" Steve asked as they departed the hospital parking lot.

"No. I'm sure it will be tonight's topic of conversation though." Danny replied as he relaxed into the passenger seat of his Camaro. He was tired but incredibly happy and very much relieved. He vowed that the ride home would be as successful as the trip to TAMC as he closed his eyes and only focused on slow, even breathing.

With a brief smile, Steve glanced once towards his friend as he pulled carefully into traffic. Danny was doing well and for that moment in time, it was the only thing that mattered. The issue with Tara would work itself out eventually - both Danny and Tara would cope with any final decision. Tasked with only getting him home to rest for the remainder of the day, Steve left Danny to himself.

Though the volume was very low, the police radio was always on in the Camaro and they heard the call together just as Steve got off the freeway for the local roads. They were more than halfway home and Steve clenched his jaw as his face hardened with a moment's indecision. Danny didn't bother looking over as he automatically reached under the passenger seat to retrieve the small weapon he kept hidden. The glove box was opened and he briefly rummaged for the two clips he kept stowed there. One found its way home into its chamber and the other was quickly pocketed.

Both had heard Chin's voice requesting backup. Codes for officer down were shouted and with one last, worried glance towards Danny, they were moving. They were too close and it was Chin; based on the warehouse address, they were probably closer than the nearest cruiser.

"Stay in the car." It was a harshly whispered plea as they roared into the warehouse lot skidding to a stop between Kono's small red car and an HPD vehicle. Steve was ignored as Danny rolled out of the passenger seat and met him at the trunk to vest-up with communications ear buds quickly adjusted and tested.

"Danny. I can handle this. Stay in the car." Simultaneously, Steve flicked his device on to page Chin just as a volley of shots rang out. Their eyes met worriedly as Danny continued to buckle the straps to his bullet-proof vest. "Chin, we're here. Status. What's the situation?"

The quick update was controlled but clipped and Steve groaned when Chin confirmed Kono was the hostage and that Duke Lukela was down. Chin also confirmed that negotiations with the shooter would be futile. The three had come to speak to the warehouse owner about the data and video clip on the thumb drive related to the dockside murder victim from week's earlier. The owner turned out to be their true target - a Yakuza that realized HPD and Five-0 were getting too close.

"_He's not interested. He just wants out and has no qualms about killing. The dealer we arrested down at the docks works for this guy and was paid to confess to the murder. He took down Duke and forced Kono into the office area_."

"I'll take the back." Danny insisted as distant police sirens were heard however, they were still far away. "I'm fine."

Steve ground out a muffled curse; both Kono and Duke in jeopardy, and Chin was inside without backup. He didn't want to risk Danny's health either but time was of the essence. A short studied look told him that Danny was indeed holding his own, but Steve didn't want to take too many chances.

"Cover the back. _Just_ the back door. Stay out of things. Stay outside the building." Steve demanded. His eyes dark with worry. "Do not engage, Danny. I mean it."

There was a quick agreeable nod as the two split up. Danny felt good as he jogged quickly around the back, ducking under low windows and breaks in the old building to finally peer through the old window in the rear door. He hadn't felt this much in control in weeks and he was comfortable as he fell back into his job with a natural, practiced ease.

He could see Kono right away. Her hands were behind her back .. fastened likely with her own cuffs to a strong metal pipe outside the dingy office. There was a slight trace of smudged red darkness on her sleeve and she was gagged. Danny managed a pleased smirk at her calm attitude though. She was undeniably quite angry. He was saddened to see Duke on his stomach, laying almost at her feet with a small pool of blood near his right shoulder. Danny could also see the face of the gunman quite clearly through the scratched and filthy window pane. He remained outside as promised, but was happily surprised to have such a clear view of the scene.

The man was middle-aged, frenetic and pacing while waving his gun wildly in the air. Through his earpiece, Danny could hear that Steve was close and shouting to the gunman. Demanding that he drop his weapon .. come out .. at least negotiate as Steve crept closer. But Danny could see the sardonic sneer on the man's evil face which only grew in its maliciousness as he _agreed_ to Steve's compromises. He seemed much too interested in Kono as he winked nastily at her, and not at all concerned about Duke's unconscious body.

_Sure_, he would _release both officers_ .. _unharmed_ ?.. not a problem there either. But Danny watched as the gunman multitasked to reinforce his location. He wasn't worried, seemed to be considering how to include Kono in his plans, and thought the back door where Danny now was held at least a temporary escape route.

Danny noticed that the gunman kept glancing curiously up to the rafters. But from where he stood outside, Danny didn't see anything as he tried to survey the high ceilings. Chin was approaching on an angle perpendicular to Steve and also much too far away. Neither of the Five-0 team had the view that Danny was afforded as he whispered what he saw into his mic for Chin and Steve's benefit.

"_Stay outside_." Steve growled at Danny as he listened to the quiet report and changed his course of action as the truth of what the gunman was doing reached his ears.

"I am." Danny whispered back as he rolled his eyes in aggravation. "Just get there already, he's going to do something. _**Soon**_."

Steve was being _yes'd_ to death; patronized but the Yakuza didn't yet realize that Danny was watching his every move as he stacked boxes and tried to fortify his location. Using his sleeve, Danny wiped the sweat off his face that had begun to trickle into his eyes. He grimaced when the Yakuza looked appreciatively yet again up into the high rafters. Quietly, Danny turned the handle on the door as he cautiously moved into the first few feet of the warehouse. Promising he wouldn't go far, he at least needed to be just a bit closer to get a better look as to what might be so interesting.

The change in temperature was immediate and not what Danny had expected. The warehouse was blisteringly hot and the air was stifling in its stillness. The entire space smelled of acrid chemicals and was a huge unorganized maze of huge barrels, freight boxes and old pallets. The metal walls were at least two stories high. They reached up to an old, rusted sheet metal ceiling that was crisscrossed with dark wooden beams. The space echoed and boomed with any sound ricocheting sharply from wall to wall.

Danny flinched as the gunman peppered the area Chin was near and then heard the confirming shouts from his team in his earpiece. Answering booms from Chin's shotgun made his breath catch as each loud bellowing crash became an echoing series of two or three. Hiding behind a stack of old wooden crates, Danny worked on controlling his breathing. It had already become slightly erratic as he forced himself to watch and listen but the heat made the task difficult. Steve was chattering in his earpiece. He still couldn't see the Yakuza. He still couldn't see the sneer or read the lips that told Kono she would die anyway.

"_Here or .. later .. it's no matter." _Another leering look of admiration pierced the ugly face. "_Though later .. enjoy ourselves ... first_."

Danny's anger rose but he was beginning to tremble as the loud noises around him fluctuated and a series of high-pitched police sirens tore into the area. The sounds were growing and diminishing as he forced his legs to move forward just a bit more. He was desperate to see the rafters but his vision had shrunk to a mere pinprick. He was concentrating so hard that he could only hear bits and pieces of Steve calling to him. Demanding his position. Telling him to stay out of it.

"_Danny. Report. Where are you_?" But Danny couldn't answer as he took aim. He needed to focus and clear his vision; he needed to still his hand that had begun to quiver from the strain. Moving closer, Danny watched the Yakuza and once again read his lips.

"_My friend ...rafters.. beautiful .. trap."_ He automatically read the words and Danny's eyes finally strayed upwards just as Kono's did the same in a horrified realization. She was effectively gagged and was now struggling to free herself in a vain attempt to warn both Chin and Steve. His view now unobstructed, Danny saw the movement. He was almost mesmerized as tiny, stray pieces of dust and dirt fell in shimmering sparkles to the concrete floor. Sweat was pooling down his back and beading his forehead, but he finally saw the second gunman perched high and easily tracking Steve's approach.

His own voice sounded tinny to himself as Danny warned Chin and Steve. "Fall back. It's a trap." Danny shouted breathlessly into his mic.

"Steve! Up high - your two o'clock. Check the rafters!" And as the first Yakuza shrugged at Kono, he aimed his weapon directly at her head while he mouthed "_Why wait? two dead pigs .. better .. this way." _

Danny reacted just as the Yakuza cocked his own weapon. He took two steady shots which rang out as Chin's shotgun went off for a second time. Danny's bullets hit his target squarely in the chest. But now other shots immediately rained down on his position from the beams and Danny scrambled away as Kono fell to her knees in an attempt to make herself smaller.

The second gunman was rapid firing heavily where Danny now lay hidden. Splinters and large chucks of wood from the crates were peppering his arms and back but the distraction allowed Chin to get to Kono. Using himself as her shield, he sighted the elevated form that was so engrossed now in taking down Danny. And Steve was also well on the move as his carefully aimed shots rang out. There was a brief moment of silence as the gunman wind-milled his arms and dropped his weapon from his almost two-story high perch. It fell with a loud clang to the hard concrete floor as another shot rang out from Steve's gun. Seconds later, the body fell heavily to the ground.

Vaguely through his earpiece, Danny heard Steve desperately calling him but he could only lay limply on the ground with his eyes slammed shut. The reverberating sounds in the warehouse had slammed into him and Danny moaned as he coughed in the stifling heat. He failed at catching his breath in the stagnant hot air and the acrid odor ravaged his throat. And then Steve was by his side, yanking the earpiece off and pulling him gently up. He felt himself being moved and tried to help as Steve supported him into the blinding sunshine. And as his knees weakened, a second person grabbed his other arm and he was now carried to a shady area. Danny coughed heavily and blinked his eyes as he felt himself being propped against a sturdy chest.

"M'fine." He tried to whisper through a few more ragged coughs. But Danny could only sit there completely exhausted, worn out and unresisting as Steve easily unbuckled and then removed his vest. He sighed in appreciation while he sucked in deep lungfuls of air and felt the breeze beginning to dry his sweat-soaked shirt.

"I'm fine." He stated again with a voice that was now a bit stronger.

"Sure." Steve replied almost too gently as the vest was tossed aside and a water bottle appeared in his hands. "Drink."

Danny shook only slightly as he took the bottle from Steve. A different calm hand came up from behind him to support his wrist and Danny realized that he was leaning up against Chin. As he blinked blearily and sipped from the bottle, he could see Kono sitting on the edge of an ambulance. She seemed fine and was already rocking off the bumper in an attempt to rejoin her team. And a second ambulance was already leaving with Duke Lukela.

He looked up to find Steve pacing anxiously with his hands on his hips. Looming over Danny as he waited worriedly for the debilitating effects of the sensory overload to kick in. He jumped when the second ambulance hit its sirens, but Danny only watched it leave with a bland expression. He was utterly exhausted but not over-reacting. There was a slight tremble, however it too was easing as his breathing neared normal.

Steve's apprehensive eyes calmed slightly as Chin began to grin happily. A smile slowly crinkled Danny's face and then reached his eyes as he relaxed tiredly into Chin's shoulder. Through a few remaining coughs, Danny began to chuckle. "No. Really. I'm _really_ good."

**_~ to be continued ~_**


	25. Chapter 25

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: the muse that came up with this story in the first place, won the final Tara toss! I'm relieved - always stick to the original plan. But you will all have to be patient for one or two more chapters.**

**Chapter 25**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Shy of an hour after Danny left her office and just as he was cautiously turning the handle on the door to enter the warehouse, Tara was called into Doctor Ramirez's office for a chat. Groaning when the caller ID panel lit up on her office phone, Tara toyed with the idea of making believe she wasn't there. But it would only have delayed the inevitable. Ramirez was not willing to let it go or more so, let her go without giving her another piece of his mind.

"A _chat_?" She repeated warily on the phone. She could tell that he had calmed and might be more reasonable, but he was still annoyed by their earlier discussion. And Tara knew he was irritated since he always dripped sarcasm and that moment was no exception as he bristled at her questioning repetition of his request.

"Yes, Tara. A _chat_. A talk. Share words. We need to _discuss_ this issue of yours." He hung up without waiting for her reply, so Tara had no choice but to go directly to his office.

Knocking once, she entered his office and closed the door. Settling in for a chewing out and preparing herself for a discussion that would likely become an all out argument. But the older doctor was serious and subdued as he sat behind his desk. And after a few minutes, Tara realized that it wasn't a sharing of words at all. She only needed to listen.

Retired Army Colonel Samuel Alphonso "Ponch" Ramirez, for all intensive purposes, shared his life's story with her; uninterrupted, largely unedited, and completely off the record. He started with his well thought out enlistment after medical school and subsequent tour of duty in Vietnam assigned to a M.A.S.H. unit. A Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. The young doctor had just completed his residency and loved his country – still did thank you very much – and served well. He took pride in his work and honed what would become exceptional surgical skills. The first tour lasted twelve months and though he was married, he voluntarily re-enlisted for another tour.

With the M.A.S.H. units moving every few months in order to remain within twenty miles of the front lines, Ramirez had seen it all, done it all and experienced every terrible part of combat humanly possible. At the beginning of his second tour, he was considered seasoned and promoted to Major and then to interim commanding officer of the M.A.S.H. unit. But only because its first commander – and one of his friend's - had been killed while on a short two-day leave in a small village.

There was a multitude of successes, failures and traumatizing deaths. Destruction that was unfathomable. Friendships that came, went, died or were simply lost to time. He told her about his first wife. Loyal until he came home and decided to remain in the military. He accepted promotions through the Army ranks eventually landing at that of Colonel. But that was long after he'd lost her to divorce. She had actually left him a few months after his State-side return, taking their young son away in fear of his sometimes violent dreams and startling flashbacks. She also disliked the idea of moving from one Army installation to yet another every few years based upon whatever his orders required. He hadn't asked her ... he didn't think it had mattered. So besides scaring her, he had become selfish and he paid for it. And in the end, he couldn't blame her, but of course he _**did** _at the same time.

He had then become bitter and disillusioned. And it had taken him years to find himself again, eventually locate and introduce himself to a resentful teenage boy who was now a married man, rebuild a stellar surgical career, and then find his Ellen.

In short, he didn't feel it necessary for the young Doctor Tara Desai to follow a similar and potentially very dangerous career path. And he absolutely abhorred bureaucratic, red-taped, paper pushers. He valued his family over anything else.

"For what? You've served your time. You've done your duty. Get out now ...unscathed and whole. Have a nice family." He ended the one-sided lecture abruptly but never once lost eye contact with her. And Tara was enthralled .. hanging on his every word.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do. And admittedly, none of what I've shared is entirely relevant to you. But you have a value here at TAMC .. where you can do more for your patients."

Tara promised Doctor Ramirez that she would weigh all her options. She was humbled as she left his office and was struggling to remember why she had become a doctor in the first place.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"You don't look okay." Steve stared down at Danny in disbelief. There would be ramifications. There would always be _ramifications_ until Tara Desai said otherwise and cleared Danny one hundred percent. So while Chin smiled and Danny contented himself by taking deep soothing breaths, Steve only slightly relaxed as he remained vigilant.

He noticed that Danny had yet to even try and move. Sitting against Chin limply and now almost uncaring of the activity taking place around him, Danny was clearly exhausted. The slight tremors were abating, but not yet gone and his hands were cold and clammy. Steve's gaze also settled on Kono and he was relieved to see that she was on her way over. He waved an urgent signal to her as their eyes met and she turned back immediately to ask the EMT who had treated her to bring his kit over to where Danny was sitting.

"Check him out." Steve quietly asked the EMT who already had the Detective in his sights. He stepped back as the EMT knelt down and began to check Danny's vitals. An oxygen mask was quickly put in place for the occasional cough. A blood pressure cuff soon followed and Steve frowned at Danny's total lack of objection and barely open eyes.

"_Ramifications_", Steve thought to himself disgustedly. But he supressed the worry as he turned to Kono.

"What's the verdict and how's Duke?" Steve picked at the dried blood on her sleeve. It wasn't hers, so it had to be Duke's. Which didn't make Steve feel all that much better.

Kono was chugging a second bottle of water and he waited patiently for her to catch her breath. "Hot. But fine. Duke needs surgery to remove the bullet. They think it's lodged in his shoulder but his vitals are good. The heat sure didn't do any of us any favors in there."

She smiled as she watched the EMT continue his assessment and she pulled Steve off to the side. "Danny was amazing. I think he read that guy's lips. I mean, how else could he have known what was going to happen?"

Steve nodded in agreement since he and Chin had a running commentary the entire time. _Lip reading_. A new, unexpected skill. And the thought caused Steve to shake his head with an astonished wry smile. "Yeah, I bet he did."

The EMT looked up with a slight frown and addressed Steve directly. "Pulse is a bit rapid. Blood pressure is on the low side. He's acting almost shocky."

Confused by Danny's fatigued state, he pulled his penlight out to check his pupils which elicited an annoyed groan. "Did he fall in there? An injury we aren't seeing?"

Danny flinched as he pushed the penlight away with an annoyed expression. His voice was muffled under the oxygen mask, but there was no denying the aggrieved tone. "I'm sitting right here. And I can tell you that I'm just tired." The EMT grinned and apologized but he gently began to palpitate Danny's arms, torso and each leg.

"Let's just make sure, sir." The continued basic physical exam had Danny grumbling unhappily especially when Chin helped to rock Danny forward into a more upright sitting position. There were a few tiny cuts on one cheek deemed too minor for more than a simple antiseptic cleaning. But a fresh blood stain on the underside of one bicep was a bit larger and the EMT cut away Danny's shirt to reveal a sizeable wooden splinter.

Steve and Kono knelt down and then grimaced at the ugly piece of wood. "That's got to come out." The EMT noted calmly as he searched for a set of tweezers and readied an appropriate bandage. The scissors had Danny complaining again about one of his best shirts being ruined. And then the tweezers had him yelping as the splinter was removed with one swift motion. He glared at the unflappable EMT as he skillfully cleaned and bandaged the wound.

"Tetanus shot lately?" The EMT asked as he finished and began to pack up his supplies. Danny sighed and nodded yes. That was at least a positive. The whole team was up to date on required vaccinations and inoculations. No need for more poking and prodding.

"Like I said before, I'm just tired." Danny was now officially worn out and he couldn't hide the irritated snippy tone as he pulled the oxygen mask off. The EMT shrugged as he stood.

"I guess he's okay. There's really nothing to take him in for .. but I'd at least make sure he hydrates and gets some decent rest."

'_Ramifications_,' Steve thought to himself apprehensively as clenched his jaw and studied Danny. Through the entire process, Danny still hadn't once tried to move off Chin. He was much too pliant while at the mercies of the EMT and though verbally irritated, he was too damned agreeable. Plus the tremors were still evident .. mild but sporadically causing his body to shake.

Heaving a sigh, Steve nodded to Chin and caught Danny's eye as he stepped forward. "Alright, let's go." With Chin on one side and Steve on the other, the two supported Danny to the Camaro and gently pushed him into the passenger seat.

"Thanks." He muttered quietly as he stretched heavy, wooden legs and then rubbed his arm which was now aching near the small bandage. As soon as the door was closed, he pillowed his head into it and closed his eyes. He listened to Kono's soft voice and Chin's stern warnings about driving too soon. Their voices were hushed by the glass and the tones were soothing. After a time, he sensed rather than saw the driver's side door open as Kono squeezed into the back of the Camaro. Chin would drive her car and follow them to Steve's.

A tired smile flit across his face as Kono's hand fell onto his shoulder and offered a comforting pressure. "By the way, thanks yourself, brah." Kono laughed quietly into his left ear. "That was amazing."

And just a few seconds later, he felt Steve settle into the driver's side. The door was closed with a light snug click and the engine of his car was started. But the vehicle didn't move and with his eyes closed, Danny sighed into the glass. His breath briefly fogging the pane. Steve was staring at him and closely studying him. Without looking he knew there was a _face_. One that was full of SEAL-sized personal guilt and concern. The fact that Steve would have done the same if not more, was wholly irrelevant. And the _face_ would also be tinged with confusion too because Danny had to have read lips to know so much. And without him, Kono and Duke might not be alive that moment. And Steve himself might have been grievously wounded.

He snorted softly when Steve blurted out a few words. But the reprimand was soft and almost apologetic. "You didn't listen."

"But I tried."

"Not hard enough, Danno."

Slapping his thigh as the rant took hold, Danny finally opened his eyes to look at Steve across the short distance. "Really? What would you have had me do? Have you or Chin get shot? Lose the Rookie? Abandon Duke?"

His words made Kono take mock offense as she lightly slapped Danny's shoulder. "Hey, that's not necessary!"

"And you have no defense if the roles were reversed." Steve narrowed his eyes angrily at the challenge. Danny's answering smirk wasn't appreciated but Steve just couldn't let it go as he put the car into drive but kept his foot firmly on the brake. He knew Danny was right but he was also sure something else was wrong as he glanced once more at Danny's weary eyes.

"So what else is wrong." It wasn't a question and the guilt was definitely there. And Danny knew they'd sit there all afternoon if the crazy SEAL didn't get an answer. Plus he desperately wanted his dark room and the soft bed where he could bury himself under a mountain of blankets. Almost unconsciously, he rubbed the ache between his eyes as it increased in volume.

"Maybe a headache. " Danny admitted as he rested his head once more against the window. Before Steve could make a tight-lipped comment laced with regret, Danny held up one finger to silence him. "But it was worth it."

The bitter snark was out of Steve's mouth before he could stop himself. "Yeah, it's worth it until Tara finds out. Or you have some god awful relapse."

Kono made a face in the back seat and Danny groaned as he closed his eyes. Tara would have plenty to say about what had happened and there was no way he could hide the slight scratches on his face or the bandage on his arm. Plus he was wrung out and completely exhausted. He did have a headache and he hadn't been this tired since overdoing it with Chin on the Sunday he'd insisted on returning Grace to Rachel. In fact, Danny wasn't sure how he would manage to stay awake or even wake up in time for Tara's arrival later that evening.

Dismally, Danny nodded once. "You're right. On both." He whispered the words quietly and closed his eyes as the car began to move. He dozed and what seemed like mere minutes later, Chin was there. Sandwiching Danny between him and Steve, they once again escorted him to the bedroom. Nightlight, blinds drawn, concerned glances. Pain medication and water were silently dispensed. Minutes later, Danny was soon blissfully unaware as he sunk into the warm bedding and the last of the tremors finally eased.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Tara's head was spinning and she needed time to think after seeing Doctor Ramirez. Most of the offices were now empty as she returned to her own and stared out her window. It was later than she thought too as she clocked the sun in the sky. Shaking her long hair down from the tight bun it had been in all day, she pulled our her cell phone.

"_**Need a raincheck on 2nite." **_She texted Danny and waited five minutes and then ten minutes. When no reply came at the twenty minute mark, she assumed that he was sleeping and decided to call Steve directly.

Steve's phone vibrated just as he was leaving the spare bedroom. He had stayed quietly in the room until reassured that Danny was comfortable and sleeping soundly. As he closed the door, Steve answered quickly in a loud whisper when Tara's name flashed on the small screen. And Tara frowned immediately on her end when she heard his voice. "_Now why does he sounded exactly like the kid who's hand got caught in the cookie jar?_'

"_Tara! I .. how are you ..Danny .. well, he's sleeping …_"

She made a face at the odd stuttered outburst but she was distracted herself, and so briefly ignored it as she begged off the loosely established plans for the evening. "I'm sorry to do this, but something's come up at work. Is Danny alright? Can you let him know for me?"

The relief in Steve's voice was apparent and Tara almost took the cell phone off her ear to quizzically study the device. "_Oh it's fine, Tara. He's fine. We .. I mean, he'll understand. He's sleeping anyway_."

"Thanks, Steve. I'll call tomorrow." But before ending their conversation, she couldn't help adding. "And Steve?"

She could hear him walking down the stairs and she envisioned him standing in his living room. "_Yeah, Tara_?" Much too innocent .. definitely kid and cookie jar stuff.

The knowing glean was in her voice as she made herself perfectly clear. "When I see you tomorrow? I expect you to tell me exactly what happened this afternoon when you left my office." She was grinning at her desk as she left him sputtering on the other side of a dead connection.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	26. Chapter 26

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: I'm gratified that you all like Tara. Thank you for the great reviews! **

**Chapter 26**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Tara pulled the blinds in her office to block the setting sun and closed her door. She was still smiling after hanging up with Steve. Or was it _on_ Steve? Something had definitely happened where it concerned Danny and the doctor in her was very annoyed but she knew he was safe. So she contented herself with getting to the bottom of the truancy the next day. She needed to focus on a very important decision.

And though her floor was empty, she was after all in a hospital, so she wasn't entirely alone. She could hear remote footsteps, the occasional phone ringing, and faraway voices. She cleared her desk except for the Army Medical Corps letter. And then gathered a few odd items from around her office. A very old photo of herself with her favorite hearing impaired Aunt, two photos from Iraq, and one very special article from a medical journal where she had successfully done a cochlear implant on a boy from the Sudan done gratis and sponsored by a humanitarian organization.

She lined them all up behind the letter, leaned her chin on tented her fingers and just closed her eyes. She compartmentalized friends and family, including Danny. Of course they were factors but Tara wanted to first dwell on the values of her professional career. The Army, education, her tours, her job at TAMC, and now her speaking engagements.

Sitting in her office, it was almost too easy to be objective. The sterile environment was simply too right for such thoughts. But she listed all the pros and cons dutifully as she began to mentally write an acceptance letter. With a resigned sigh, she got to her feet and took both the offer documents and the picture of her Aunt. She left TAMC knowing that it was going to be a long night.

At midnight, Tara was finally home. She'd taken herself out to a local diner for a quick bite to eat and then watched the sunset from her favorite overlook point. The entire time, dwelling on what she would do. But now, she was tired and he only light was from her desk lamp in her bedroom. She was wearing shorts and a tank top while she studied her reflection in the full length mirror. The person staring back was emotionless, almost too skinny and holding a half eaten carton of chocolate chip ice cream. The spoon was sticking out her mouth and upside down, held in place only by her tongue. She most definitely did not look like an experienced medical doctor.

Tara turned and examined her perfectly unblemished right side. She didn't look at it too long as she twirled suddenly to view the burn scars. In a way, it had been good that she had been so young in the accident. The grafts had long ago healed and new skin, though a bit discolored and thicker in spots, didn't look as bad as it could have had she been older. The scarring was the worst over her left ribcage where the skin was most delicate. Her left leg was a creased and uneven discoloration from her knee to her hip. And her left arm was nearly the same beginning above her elbow and then wrapping around her bicep. There was definitely a time where she was petrified and hated herself. When she was afraid to go to the beach and had refused to wear shorts or skirts. But that had changed a very long time ago when her favorite Aunt had laughingly called her a '_beautiful_ _masterpiece'_.

Fourteen year old Tara had decked a boy for daring to try and pull her blouse off in a school hallway. He had been laughing and jeering at the pretty teenager that was so oddly reserved, much too studious, and almost scary with hidden secrets. She'd taken it silently until he tweaked the sleeve of her blouse and then pulled on it to expose part of her shoulder.

One solid frightened punch had laid him out on the floor and she'd stunned herself. Both students had been suspended but her Aunt had called her a '_beautiful_ _masterpiece'_ and the teasing had never recurred. It was a pivotal moment.

And now she barely saw any of it. Tara was just plain old _Tara Desai_. Take it, or leave it .. though she did briefly wonder what Danny might think of it once he saw the damage. She realized for the first time in a very long time that his personal reaction would _matter_ and she frowned at her uneven reflection.

But, as Doc Ramirez reminded her, there was so much worse that they both had already seen. Her old wounds were laughable compared to the other horrific injuries she had sadly witnessed. So she smiled and mentally smacked herself, took another spoonful of ice cream, and walked away to sit at her desk.

She began to write the first letter she had begun to mentally prepare with a firm determination. There would be two letters in total, but this first one would be the most important.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

It took ten hours for Steve, Chin and Kono to realize the ramifications of Danny's brief but stressful participation the prior day. In that time, they'd had dinner together quietly on the lanai, learned Duke would be fine and even released the next day, and now an early morning breakfast. But Danny hadn't yet emerged from the bedroom.

"He's _**still**_ sleeping?" Kono asked as she watched Steve descend the stairs after checking on their friend for the hundredth time. The worried nod was brief as Steve sagged into the sofa.

They understood even more as to why Tara had been insistent on prescribing small and short environmental exposures. An hour controlled break to regroup after a successful event and maybe a brief nap didn't hold a candle to eleven lost hours of pure, exhausted, dead to the world _**time**_. Plus Danny had missed dinner and was well on his way to missing breakfast. He hadn't gained much weight back and while most patients needed _sleep_ to heal, this type of prolonged almost unconscious rest was completely counter-productive.

"I tried to wake him." Steve admitted quietly and Chin couldn't help but begin his impatient pacing. "He seems to be coming around, but he's out of it so I decided to leave him alone. I'll go up again in a few minutes and see where he's at."

At first, Steve had been relieved that Tara had called to cancel the prior night's dinner plans. In fact, all three had laughed in relief when Steve explained why Tara had postponed her visit. A work related issue saved them in the short term. It was a happy reprieve while they teamed up to take care of Danny; though it was more than obvious that she knew something was up and she'd demand an answer eventually. But now Steve was anxious for her to call so he could willingly admit to the necessary indiscretion; they all needed reassurance.

Steve got his wish at 8 a.m. and just as Danny was struggling out from under the deep covers to make his way downstairs. His phone rang and it was Tara and she was now very disturbed that Danny hadn't called or texted her back. With a voice roughened from a long sleepless night, she wanted to speak to him and let them know she was taking a day off from work.

"_But Danny is okay, right? I know something happened._" He heard the concern and accusatory tone in her voice as Danny simultaneously rounded the corner into the kitchen yawning widely. Steve bit back the sigh of relief as he watched Danny take a seat at the table. Chin was on his heels and pouring him a glass of juice before he could even ask. "_Do you need me for anything?_"

He wanted to speak with her but sensed the timing was off and with Danny now awake, Steve only admitted to Danny having an unexpectedly long day. "He just woke up. So I think we're good and we would love to see you later. Maybe lunch or dinner here tonight if you're up to it?"

She agreed to dinner and then Steve passed the phone to Danny with a short whispered explanation. "Tara had to cancel last night for work. She called to say good morning …" Steve frowned unconsciously when he once again noticed the still baggy t-shirt and a wrist that suddenly seemed thinner. So he turned after handing off the phone as a breakfast menu of sorts rattled around in his head.

"I'll make breakfast." Steve whispered, as he pushed Danny towards the lanai. "Go talk!" Danny smiled as he took the phone. And he did walk out to the lanai to sit at the table so he could speak more privately.

"Good morning, Doctor Desai." Danny happily said as he blinked against the bright morning light. However, Tara's voice was upset and he immediately sobered.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "I was worried that I slept through your visit, but Steve tells me that you didn't actually come by last night?"

"_Yeah. I need time to think about what I'm going to do with this offer._" Tara was truthful as she pulled on hiking boots and packed a small backpack with a healthy lunch. She was tired but filled with a jittery energy so couldn't sit still. Her plan was to get out and breathe … to take a hike and clear her head one final time. She wanted to re-read the two letters she'd so carefully written into the wee hours of the morning and finalize her decision by day's end.

"_So, if you're really okay, I'll swing by later. Steve seems to want to barbecue_."

Danny was still fuzzy headed as he woke up and was coming to terms with the fact that he'd lost many hours to a much too deep sleep, so he stupidly nodded into the phone. He was slowly figuring out that he'd slept for quite a long time as he looked out at the bright morning sun hitting the waves.

"Barbecue would be great .. I'm glad I didn't miss you. But Tara …do you want to talk about any of this? Your decision I mean. If I can help …"

Tara stopped her packing and smiled warmly. She was relieved that he sounded good and knew that she could stick to her own day's plans. But the decision was her own and she still needed the private time to hash out her feelings. "_Hey, I appreciate that. I do. But I need to figure this out myself._"

Danny had expected that as her answer, so he could only sigh in understanding. "Okay, but let me know?" And Danny didn't know if he meant if she needed to talk or if he meant it to be about her final decision. Regardless, the words came out as a whispered plea.

There was a short but genuine chuckle from Tara and her warm reply said that she assumed that he meant her decision. "_Oh Danny, trust me. You will be the very first to know_."

Their call ended with a gentle '_see you later_'. And for some reason, he was sad after hanging up and he quietly stared at the beach and distant waves. He barely recognized the improvements in himself as three jet skis rocketed past on the breakers. In the background, he could hear Steve and Chin talking from inside the house. But his stomach grumbled loudly as the smells of pancakes, bacon and coffee leaked out of the house and onto the lanai. A few minutes later, it didn't take long for a food laden plate to be pushed in front of where he sat.

Kono smiled sweetly as she sat at the table and presented him with a fork and knife. She cocked her head meaningfully towards the house where the sounds of both Chin's and Steve's voices continued to reach his ears. More food was being cooked up and the team would soon be joining him outside.

"_Eat_. Before Steve totally falls apart."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	27. Chapter 27

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: special thanks to CinderH and Synbou for some GREAT help on keeping this on track! And to CinderH for a very necessary beta on yet another super long chapter. Yeah, I definitely TALK too much but I didn't see a natural break here. Sorry folks!**

**Chapter 27 **

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Tara had finally written her two letters in the late night quiet of her small apartment. She felt cold and dead inside when she finished the first one. The feelings had surprised her since she had virtually penned it entirely in her head while at the office. It affected her so much, that she'd taken a break to make herself a cup of tea and would have called her Aunt if it hadn't been so late. The second letter took longer to write but when she was done, the result felt more correct. She huffed in surprise as she acknowledged it; she was definitely more at ease with herself as she reread and then signed the bottom. Tara knew at that point that she had her answer.

"Alright then." She said to herself as she folded each one into their respective envelopes but didn't seal either.

It was nearing dawn when she finished and she knew that she was tired and would want a fresh eye after some rest or at least after a well-deserved break from the stressful decision-making process. One more look at each letter to be absolutely certain that her decision was the right one.

She decided finally on taking a hike to clear her head but only because she'd tried to go to bed and failed at actually falling asleep. With the sun coming up and the birds singing outside her window, it was impossible. Tara stared at the ceiling until kicking blankets off in disgust. Rolling to her feet, she decided that she would first speak to Danny and secondly, take a personal day from work and then get out for awhile.

It was 10 a.m. when she arrived at the head of a particular hiking trail that she'd traveled many times before. Her goal was a low peak where she planned to have lunch and once again, read and reread both letters. She stretched to her full height before fixing the pack and taking off at a brisk walk. Tara had already forgotten about the curious looks she'd received in the dirt parking lot. Wearing a baseball cap, plain t-shirt and khaki shorts, her scarred leg stuck out and the woman with her small child had grimaced in sympathy. Tara's cheery _hello_ received a hasty and self-conscious apologetic _good morning_ in return and then it was over .. Tara was off and running.

Three hours later, she was the only person gazing out at the gorgeous Pacific. Behind her, the hills and mountains stretched and rolled like a beautiful green carpet in stark contrast to the shimmering ocean blues. She was only slightly out of breath but grinning at her accomplishment. She also felt much better as she opened up a small blanket and pulled out her lunch. When she was done eating, she resigned herself to revisiting her important task.

But just a few minutes later, Tara had reread both letters and had come to the same conclusion. "Letter number two it is." She declared to the now cloud-filled sky as she repacked her belongings. Her hike back down to the parking area was filled with a happy, perky step and she was back in her car in record time. She then made a quick side-trip to her favorite bakery and laughed when she couldn't make her mind up about two different pies.

"Oh heck, I'll take both!' She declared, now in a rush since it was already well after 5 p.m.

She settled on jeans again .. but newer and definitely more dressy, matched with comfortable flat sandals, white blouse and her favorite casual sweater. It was her favorite sweater for a few reasons. One was that it practically matched everything in her closet and two, for its ridiculously deep pockets. Tara smiled as she shoved both letters and another small object into one of those pockets now. The white of the envelopes barely peeking out and the small object sinking heavily to the bottom.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

Danny groaned at the sheer volume of food that was scattered across every counter top in Steve's small kitchen. "What did you do, buy an entire cow?" He wasn't even remotely hungry yet after the extreme breakfast cooked up earlier in the day where his team made it clear that he was all skin and bones. They were all on personal missions to fatten him up and he was simultaneously baffled and amused. He'd been left in Kono's agonizingly perceptive care as Chin and Steve went shopping for the simple barbecue. The two had gone for a walk on the beach and then he had been essentially put to bed .. made to _rest_.

"Just making up for yesterday." Kono demanded blandly as she closed the door to the bedroom. She refused to listen to him about feeling fine and over-reacting. But he had been surprised when he did actually nap, waking to the sounds of Chin and Steve returning from their shopping expedition. But now, the simple barbecue didn't look so simple based on the state of the kitchen. And Kono was forcing a dangerous looking brownish drink into his hands.

"There's just so much a person can eat!" Danny remarked as the protein drink was shoved at him. "Or drink. And this .._this_ .. just isn't for me." He eyed it with an almost disgusted leery expression as he poked the floating bits of banana and strawberry.

"It's chocolate." Kono explained as she tried to raise the glass to his mouth. "Everything is better with chocolate. And you haven't had anything since that big breakfast. This will tide you over until dinner."

The careful sip proved that Kono was quite right at that as Danny left the kitchen grumbling about actually _liking_ the healthy concoction. "Okay. It's not as bad as I thought it would be." It was thick like a milkshake but not too sweet and he grinned apologetically as he took a larger drink and made her laugh happily with his attempt at a formal salute. "You win!"

In a short amount of time, ribs were marinating, steaks were rubbed and hamburgers were at the ready; Chin was busily breaking up and dumping even more ice into coolers for beer and a few sodas. A variety of salads were in the refrigerator to compliment the wide selection of meats.

"Isn't it just us?" Danny complained again as he followed Steve out to the grill. Steve was on his knees checking the propane in the tank when he answered. "Us and Tara. But Chin did invite Duke and his wife .. though he might not be up to it yet. I'm pretty sure that Chin also called Max."

The questioning stopped immediately when Danny heard Duke's name. It would be more than nice to see the Sergeant and to have the man catered to while he recovered from the gunshot wound. Seeing the pleasant Hawaiian officer laying motionless had been unnerving to everyone. Plus with a couple of more possible guests, the volume of food sort of made sense. It was still over-kill, but better with more mouths to feed. Deep in thought, Danny tagged after Steve as he dragged the elevated fire pit away from the lanai and into deeper sand. A few empty chairs were strategically placed nearby for when people arrived. And he watched distractedly as Steve efficiently built the fire up and covered it with a small protective grate. Other than _eating_, there didn't seem to be anything that Danny was required to help with.

But then he nearly stopped breathing as his eyes fell to the bright flames. He began to remember something that he couldn't quite put his finger on as the fire drew him in and took over his entire vision. There had been a fire in his past and oddly, a leaf? Danny's hand trembled suddenly and his eyes darkened with a new apprehensive. He was unable to stop looking at the flames and didn't know why a green shimmery leaf joined it in his mind. The leaf was almost soothing as it danced just out of reach. There was a blue halo around it too and the deep salty smell of the ocean. But something else seemed very wrong as he watched the flames blend together into an orange and red blur. The leaf disappeared. All other sounds were blocked as he was suddenly deaf again while the fire bounced crazily in his vision. Even the crackle and pop of the dried wood simply ended as Danny lost himself.

" ..nno. .. okay?" Steve's worried voice barely reached him until the fire pit was entirely blocked from his view. He stumbled backwards by the shock of the disjointed memory and was only saved from falling by Steve's strong hands that had quickly grabbed his forearms.

"Huh? What?" The words were mumbled in confusion, as Danny looked around Steve's body to again see into the flames.

Worry laced Steve's tone as he stopped the near fall. "Danny, what just happened?"

Appearing to zone out, Danny continued to talk almost to himself in a monotone. Speaking and then correcting himself, only to say a few strange words as he stared at the flames. "It ..what? No. The _fire_. I remember that fire. No one came. We didn't need it."

Steve had seen Danny stiffen as the flames he stoked took to the dry wood and just as he placed the wire grating across the lip. "Danno? What's wrong?" He was suddenly concerned about the oddity of the flashback and what almost sounded like the very old conversation before Chin had shown up to rescue them. Danny's weakened voice played through his head and Steve recalled almost being as doubtful for rescue at that time. He remembered the almost stunted discussion as Danny lay there deafened and so ill.

_"Why the fire?"_

_"... it's precautionary ... __Just in case."_

_"In case ... because no one's coming ... Because .. we wouldn't need the fire if someone was actually coming."_

But now Danny's face was distant and closed off with a fearful splintered memory. The shadows of the flames cast an eery glow across his face and Steve's breath hitched in his throat. Danny looked pale and sickly again in the light. And the fact that he seemed unable to hear him was absolutely frightening.

"Danny. Look at me." Continuing to block the flames of the fire pit, Steve gave him a small shake to get his attention and was relieved to see the dazed eyes slowly focus on his face. He had no idea what was going on but it was clear the fire had been the simple shove.

"There was a fire." Another short statement.

"Yeah, there was a fire. But that fire's long gone Danny. You're okay and Chin came. It's gone." Steve remembered his fake attempt at a happy smirk as he stamped out the small fire in the tiny cave. He and Chin had been getting ready to move Danny to the waiting dingy. Kono and Maggie had been holding the boat's position in the very rough, post storm surf. _"Now, I'm putting my fire out."_

"Can't hear." But those next words startled Steve and he frantically got in Danny's face. His fingers whitened in their strong grip around Danny's forearms causing the man to wince.

"God Danny, no. You can - it's over." His words were hissed out harshly. Steve had no idea that Danny might have a flashback. There had been no indication of any trouble other than a few bad dreams. And of course the startling reactions to the two rain storms; but the last had been a happy revelation. And the few dreams had only crept into the night after a much too stressful day or the one time when Steve had practically forced sedatives on him. This reaction to the fire was completely unexpected and he was desperate now as Danny winced again and then blinked rapidly. The uncomfortable face made Steve loosen his hold, but he refused to let go.

The memory was almost the same for both of them and Steve was quiet as he repeated his words. As much for himself now as for Danny. "It's definitely over."

"Sorry." Danny whispered as he closed his eyes and rubbed his face with a shaky hand. He could feel Steve's fingers still wrapped on his arms. They were leaving small marks where he worriedly latched onto his skin. One hand accidentally pulled on the small wound in his bicep and it caused an uncomfortable ache. But the strength of the insistent pressure was a way to anchor himself. He swayed slightly on his feet as all the sounds from the beach and the house came rushing back. The waves, soft music from the party and Steve's whispered voice, steadying warm fingers connecting him back.

"Danny, are you okay now?"

Danny smiled at Steve awkwardly and bobbled his head up and down. He'd scared them both but he was okay and the fire pit was only that as the other memory faded away. It was a left-over flicker of a something that was gone and Danny heaved a sigh as he glanced once more at the small fire. The moment was completely gone.

"Yeah. It .. the memory .. it just came out of nowhere. Sorry. It's gone now."

And then it was over as swiftly as it had begun with Danny shrugging out of Steve's grip and turning back to the lanai. But Steve's hand found its way to Danny's shoulder where it stayed in order to offer them both a comforting touch.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

As luck would have it, Duke did show up with his wife. He'd be on leave for just a few weeks with no adverse effects from the bullet wound or the surgery. "It's pretty good. I'm just on basic pain medication and antibiotics." Duke said as Chin brought him a soda. "I should be back in no time."

But he wanted to hear all about the rescue which he had missed entirely. "What's this about lip reading?" He asked and Kono grinned as she sat down next to Duke to explain what had happened after he had been injured.

Tara parked in the road and then walked around to the back of Steve's house just as she had done upon her return from L.A. The enticing smells of good food being grilled wafted towards her and her own stomach complained loudly about being so very empty. The light lunch was just not enough at that point and she was famished. She saw Chin first and they waved to each other through the kitchen window. He seemed to be getting more plates ready to bring out to the party on the lanai. As Tara came around, she could hear Kono's voice and soon made out the words as she spoke excitedly to an older gentleman. She saw that his arm was in a sling and assumed that the injury was very recent for he hadn't even removed his hospital I.D. bracelet yet.

No one had seen her arrive yet as she approached from the side. Likely because they were all so enthralled with Kono's story-telling. In fact, both Danny and Steve were standing together by the grill with silly grins on their faces. But Tara noted that Steve seemed distracted and just a bit uptight as he gave a few furtive looks towards Danny. As if he needed reassurance that Danny was fine or as if he were looking for signs of something being _off_ as Kono shared her story. But Danny seemed perfectly alright and cheerfully relaxed as he listened intently. Tara couldn't help the smile that spread across her own face as he began to chuckle openly. His blue eyes crinkled with natural laugh lines and he definitely looked good. And Tara's heart lurched in her chest as she remembered the envelopes hidden in her pocket.

"So, Danny just knew there was a second shooter .. and pegged him up in the rafters .." Kono's words finally reached Tara in their entirety and she couldn't stop her startled outburst from interrupting the story.

"_Shooter_?" Her one word sparked a funny reaction as they all turned in surprise to face her. She stood there awkwardly as she balanced the two pies in one hand. Tara had figured something had happened the day before, but being involved with a shooter hadn't even made her short list of possibilities.

"Did you say _shooter_?" So she was plainly shocked as she asked again but now directly to Kono as her eyes slowly slid to Danny's face.

"Hey Tara!" Danny blurted out happily as he hastily rescued the pies which had begun to list dangerously to the side. "Drink maybe?" Conversation started up immediately to welcome her to the party as a beer fell into her hand. But she was chewing her lip as she watched Danny and then stared at Steve. He smiled warmly and waved the spatula in her direction. But she frowned at his somewhat guarded expression. So, the only thing she still managed to say was, "I'm sorry. But what's this about a shooter?"

"Ah yeah. That." A weak grin and Danny gently grabbed Tara's elbow to guide her towards the beach. "Up for a quick walk and I'll explain?

She was eyeing the small cuts on his face and then the bandage that was peeking out from his short-sleeved shirt. "I can just guess." Tara stated bluntly as they walked together quietly down to the waters' edge. The party had experienced another momentary lull as they walked away, but someone else must have shown up as another series of warmly voiced welcomes reached her ears.

"You didn't even make it here in one piece yesterday did you? This all happened after you left the office when you should have been resting?"

"So .. ah no." Danny took in a deep breath as he gave Tara his best smile but she merely raised her eyebrows in response. "We heard Chin on the scanner and we were so close. And it was bad. Duke had been shot already and Kono was hostage."

When Tara nodded, Danny continued until the entire story came out in a rush of words. But he offered no apologies as he explained what happened. In fact, he was pleased because he had felt so good after being physically inactive. He'd fallen naturally back into his job and he had missed it. Quietly, he then admitted that he'd been worried up until that point. Wondering if he'd be able to handle gunshots and the hectic loud, noisy thrill of what his work entailed on a daily basis.

He also admitted to the issues he felt before he entered the warehouse, but he'd worked through them all. He was proud about the accomplishments and greatly relieved. The sweat, the shaky hands, erratic breathing and the unconscious flinching.

"Really, the worst was the damned heat in that building. It was stifling. I couldn't catch my breath."

Danny wanted her approval, but at the same time wouldn't apologize for he'd do it again. It was just the way it was .. the nature of his job .. and his career. Tara grinned to herself because it reflected herself too and her scarred body, "_take me or leave me. I am what I am_." Truth be told she was content to listen to the new excitement in his voice. She was finding it difficult to bite back her growing smile as his hands waved wildly in the air while he described the warehouse and how Kono had been trapped.

When he was done talking, Danny waited for a response. They were still walking very slowly now down the beach and Tara hadn't said a single word. By now, he and Rachel would have been loudly arguing. Entirely about his welfare and health of course, but with an incredible dose of Rachel's own fear of police work worked into the mix. So Tara's complete silence confused him; Danny was used to a much different conversation that had inevitably become a confrontation.

He stopped when he sensed her slow to finally gaze out at the darkening ocean. Frowning at the lack of reaction and her unreadable face, he began to fidget and then bounce on his toes. His arms flew up high in the air and then fell limply down to his sides in a futile gesture. The laugh lines were gone as he came to a basic conclusion. "You're mad."

Tara cocked her head and thought about the statement while she tucked her hair behind her ears. She wasn't exactly _mad_ .. the doctor in her was simply concerned. He clearly understood that he'd lost time recovering to a deep sleep; that his body hadn't been entirely ready for the activity or the stresses. She didn't need to rehash that or explain it to him. He was excited and pleased with himself but also concerned about what she thought, so she told him the truth.

"No. I'm not mad." Tara had been surrounded by military brotherly teams for a very long time; men and women that were remarkable in their loyalties and honest dedication to each other. She's seen gravely wounded soldiers continue to fight and others go back to rescue a friend. To be there for their team. So she shook her head and finally smiled as she linked her arm through his and pulled him forward to walk again.

"No, Danny. I'm not mad and I get it. I really do get it. I'm just naturally worried for your well-being as your doctor and the problems we seem to have about taking 'baby-steps'." Tara couldn't hide her dramatic eye-roll as she repeated herself and it made Danny chuckle. "Baby-steps! Remember those?"

But her next words relieved any remaining stress as she pulled him to a complete stop in the sand. She wrapped her arms around his waist, linking her hand to her opposite wrist so he couldn't move. With sincerity in her voice she grinned at him as he placed his arms around her shoulders.

"I get it. This is your team, so of course you had to be there. It's what you needed to do." The words earned her a kiss on the top of her head and his laugh lines returned with a loud exhale of breath he seemed to have been holding.

Pulling each other even closer, they continued their walk down the beach. After a while dinner was forgotten as they sat side by side and now totally out of sight of Steve's house just watching the sunset. They were sitting amongst an out-cropping of rocks as the waves hit just below them.

Danny had his back up against a large boulder and Tara was comfortably folded up next to him with her head on his shoulder. There was just enough light left for her to show him the letters and now peacefully alone, it would be her best opportunity. He watched quietly as she fumbled in her pocket to pull out two white envelopes. Choosing one, she handed it to him without explanation. He knew what it was immediately and he glanced uneasily once in her direction before pulling the folded document out of the envelope and slowly opening it to read. Danny felt his stomach seize with dread as he got through the first paragraph and then saw her signature neatly sprawled at the bottom. A copy would also go to Doctor Samuel Ramirez, TAMC.

Though she knew it by heart, Tara was reading it along with him while staying pillowed up against his shoulder. The breeze had picked up and her hair was again escaping from where she tried to tuck it behind her. She felt his heartbeat increase and then the startled intake of breath since it spelled out her acceptance of the Army Medical Corps offer.

"So you've decided then." His voice was unnaturally soft, there was a hitch and Tara's lips twitched with a touch of sadness.

"I did." She was quiet as she took the letter back from him and fumbled once again in her jacket pocket for the small object. "But I need your help with something."

Tara suddenly had a sly grin on her face as she held up the lighter. He was confused until she flicked the lighter on and held it to the bottom of the envelope. The paper corner took to the single flame immediately and he jolted to a sitting position in alarm.

"What are you doing!" Danny exclaimed as she sat up next to him and rotated the envelope a few times to make sure it burned completely through. She only dropped it into the sand when she couldn't hold it anymore and they watched it completely blacken into tiny pieces, some of which fluttered away on the ocean breeze. He was afraid to smile until the last bits were gone and Tara knew she had to say the words out loud.

Her eyes were twinkling as she pulled Danny closer into a hug that was immediately returned with a happy incredulous laugh.

"Staying. I'm definitely staying, Danny."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	28. Chapter 28 END

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: thank you all for such wonderful support during all the ups and downs of this very long story. I've tried to get back to everyone - to the Guests that I couldn't repy to - THANK YOU ALL! I'm sorry if I did miss responding to a note/review here and there.**

**And to CinderH who had a lot to do with these uber-long chapters. **

**Chapter 28**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

The night was beautiful and the wind had died down to a gentle breeze. The moon was still low in the sky and just lighting the white sand. Only soft sounds of very small waves lapping at the shoreline could now be heard. Max and Chin had taken relaxed positions in the two chairs by the fire pit and were discussing the excitement of acrostic puzzles. At least Max was, as he tried to convince Chin of the benefits of the intriguing challenges related to his favorite cross-word like game. Unable to change the subject, Chin's eyes were glazing over and he was beginning to look as if he needed an excuse to escape. Steve had already broken away by walking Duke out to his car. Tired from his long day, Duke and his wife had left well before Tara and Danny would return from their impromptu walk.

And to Steve's surprise, Tara and Danny left together after the party. The pleased announcement was made after he and Tara had returned arm and arm in a companionable silence. And it came on the heels of Steve's almost innocent question about Tara's decision while the couple caught up on eating the delicious meal.

"You two were gone a long time." Steve remarked quietly as he sank into the chair near Danny. His tone had clearly demanded more information as Danny finished the plate of food that had been unceremoniously pushed in front of him. But Steve had taken a great deal of pleasure in seeing Danny happy and content - that Danny had a _girl_ and the two hadn't even had a real date as of yet.

Their conversation had taken place while Tara had been at the side table getting her second helping of salads. She had been laughing with Kono about something neither man could figure out.

"So?" He had become mildly annoyed by the smug look on Danny's face. The lop-sided smirk that reached up into shining pale blue eyes and then Tara's covert almost mischievous glances over her shoulder that were meant only for his friend. It had been easy to guess that things had gone very well, but Steve had wanted to hear it himself and he tapped the table to get Danny's attention.

"And .. _**so**_?" Steve was impatient and had repeated himself with an aggravated poke aimed at Danny's shoulder. "Is she staying like I think she is?" Another smug look and the lop-sided grin had worsened as Danny mumbled around his last bite. But the silly expression and pleased words had made Steve finally chuckle. "Oh yeah."

"And I'm sorry about _before_." At first Steve had been confused by the apology even though the last word had been meaningfully stressed for emphasis. Danny had told Tara about the brief incident on the way back to the lanai and as he was finding could be the norm, she had put Danny's mind completely at ease.

"_It's fine Danny … left over trauma. But let me know if something like that happens again. If it continues, then a neurologist consult would be best."_

But when Steve frowned, Danny had continued in a soft voice and his eyes had lost some of their glint. He had been subdued, speaking only directly to Steve and almost under his breath. He had though continued to smile as he watched Tara cut two slices out of one of the pies she had brought to the party. "She said the thing with the fire was a TBI event .. just a residual memory. Nothing to worry about."

The explanation had satisfied Steve and he'd been appreciative that Danny had even discussed the flashback with the doctor. The sensible explanation allowed him to relax. "That's good to know." Steve breathed out with a relieved sigh.

However, that part about the neurologist, Danny had firmly kept to himself since it made him uncomfortable. And it wasn't as if he needed permission, but his next words had been interesting to say the least. "Uh, Steve. We're going back to Tara's after dinner … uh .. she and I that is."

"Okay. I'll be right back." Steve recovered from the unexpected surprise quickly but only by gathering up a few plates of leftovers that needed to be refrigerated. With a smile and accepting nod, there hadn't been too much left for him to say.

So an hour later, Steve was alone but comfortable as he puttered happily around the kitchen cleaning up the few odds and ends left over from the barbecue. But when a faint flicker of light caught his eye through the window, Steve grimaced as he strode purposefully back outside. The last embers of the fire pit were still burning brightly near the bottom of the raised metal frame. He studied them for a long minute and failed to call up any old memories. Except for the constant deep sadness about losing Russ to an accident. For Maggie and Todd; but that loss and sorrow would always be ingrained there in his being. When it came to this fire and new rain storms, there was nothing left to conjure up and Danny had finally healed. So it was an easy enough task to dump the cool bucket of sand over these glowing shards in one fluid motion.

"And .. it's out again." Steve muttered to himself with only a hint of sarcasm as he turned back towards his house. The day had been long and he intended to get some much deserved rest himself.

But later that night, the only comment Danny had about Tara's scars was completely unexpected. It was something that no one had ever said to her as an adult and it left her teary eyed. He sensed her hesitancy and knew immediately she was worried about her body and if her left side repulsed him. Tara simply couldn't help worrying about Danny's reaction .. it mattered to her this time.

She was tense as they snuggled together in the peaceful darkness of her apartment with only one candle lit on the bureau. With one hand, Danny gently stroked her long hair. Eventually that same hand fell down her left arm and then over the uneven skin but he only held her tighter. She felt comforted as she closed her eyes and felt the happy tears dry quickly on her face.

"_This must have been terribly painful for you as a kid."_ A careful finger traced the thick scar near her ribs. _"But Tara, how could it ever bother me when it made you this perfectly beautiful lady you are today_?"

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

He was in a foul mood. _Again_. He'd been in one ever since Doctor Tara Desai informed him of her impending offer and long-term career decision. And he was sure that she was going to accept it regardless of his heartfelt and very one-sided discussion.

Doctor Ramirez's mood darkened further when he saw the lone envelope left in the middle of his desk. She must have started her day very early since it was barely 8 a.m. and she'd taken the previous day off for personal reasons. She had undoubtedly made her final decision. In fact, she obviously _had_ and so he thought that he knew what the thin envelope held without having to open it. With a scowl, he pushed it aside. Ignored it for later. And then found a myriad of reasons to keep himself busy for the entire morning.

He saw her finally in the hospital cafeteria. She and Danny were having lunch together boldly in the middle of the dining room and _laughing_. Clearly enjoying each other's company so she must not have told the Detective yet and Ramirez felt sorry for the man. He paid for his lunch and stalked over to their table only to stand over them in mute silence.

"Hey Doc! Feel like joining us?" Danny said happily. Tara was equally cheerful and Ramirez was beside himself at the bold transgression. How could she be so _joyous_? And when Ramirez noted that Danny had one hand wrapped loosely around Tara's arm, he scowled again. It wasn't fair that she hadn't told the Detective yet, so Ramirez sat down with a solid thump and every intention of setting the record straight.

But Danny beat him to it as he leaned back in his chair, stretching both arms high over his head for his left one to settle conspicuously around Tara's shoulders. Almost possessively and Ramirez felt his face redden. In fact, the affectionate action made him realize the implications and he almost glared at the young female doctor.

"What do you think of Tara's good news?" The casual question said in such a delighted tone made Ramirez stutter in his head as he mentally back-pedaled. He knew instantly that he'd made a mistake by not opening the envelope. His supposed implications held a larger story as he stared at Danny's grinning face. And now, he needed a way out of the delicate situation .. he had a letter that he needed to read.

"Yes." The one word was all he could think to say as he abruptly pushed the plastic cafeteria chair back and got to his feet. "Good news, yes. Excuse me, I've … forgotten .. a _meeting_ .. I need to make an important call .. yes."

Tara bit her lip to stop from laughing as Ramirez lurched away from the table and shoved his hands deeply into his pockets. But he only rocked on his toes for a minute as he looked from Danny to Tara. She raised a questioning eyebrow in return and he audibly coughed to hide his embarrassment.

"Phone call." He blurted out in the awkward silence as he changed course to quickly come back for his tray. Ramirez picked it up with a hasty turn on his heel.

"He didn't read it did he?" Danny chuckled as they watched him leave the cafeteria and Tara finally burst out laughing.

"Nope. He most definitely did not!"

**_~ Fin ~_**


End file.
